A sweet friend told me recently that she was in Hobby Lobby walking past the aisle of drafting tables and was suddenly overcome with emotion. You see, in high school she took some drafting and architecture classes and loved it. She shared her heart, tentatively wondering what happened to that part of her and if it would be possible to pursue that dream. Is it too late?

I got the feeling as I listened to her that maybe she has doubted herself as I have. Maybe, like me, she has wondered if it’s even okay to dream; to want the things in life that light you up inside. After all, we should be content with what we have, bloom where we are planted…

What about you? Do you have dreams that are collecting dust on a shelf? Years ago, for whatever reason, you set them aside for later. Or one day.

Like my friend, have you thought, “I don’t know what happened to that part of me.”?

Life didn’t turn out the way you planned and your dreams were put on hold. You’ve been in a career for years, withering away inside as you go through the motions of showing up everyday, only to leave at 5:00 unsatisfied. As a little girl you heard a missionary tell stories of God at work around the world and said, “Here I am, Lord. Send me” but now you have a family and a mortgage. Perhaps you walked away from an opportunity to pursue your dream out of fear and decided to play it safe.

I want to believe it’s not too late for us. As I walk with God, I’m learning that if He plants a dream in us, it just keeps resurfacing, returning, reminding, rekindling. He’s not into keeping secrets or teasing us. For me, if there is something he wants me to know, his message will show up everywhere I turn. Over and over. He’s patient like that.

This is where He works it out in me, works it into me, pulls it out of me- on this page, as I type. I’m three days into this post asking for lots of clarity…Did God really plant this dream in me? Should I just be faithful and satisfied where I am? After all, I am so blessed! Am I looking a gift horse in the mouth? Am I being ungrateful? Am I being selfish?

Am I making any sense? There is a literal battle going on in my mind, because more than anything I want what God wants. I only want to walk through doors He opens for me. I want my days on this planet to matter for His kingdom.

What about you? Is there something planted deep in you? When you think about it or talk about it, do you feel the light inside you growing brighter?

It’s that thing that we just can’t shake. It’s what we would do if time, money, or our fears were not factors. He has shaped us, prepared us, inspired us, burdened us, invited us just for this very thing. If it’s something He started in us, He’s not letting us walk away until we take him at his word and take a step of faith.

When I’m unsettled, unsure, and undecided, I go to the Word. God tells us that if we lack wisdom we should ask Him for it. (James 1:5) This is what I’m hearing from him as I’ve prayed for clarity.

• He finishes what he starts in us. Philippians 1:6

• He prepared works for me to do long before I was born. Ephesians 2:10

• He is a good Father who loves to give good gifts. Matthew 7:11

• He has a plan that includes hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

• He puts His desires in our hearts and minds when we are seeking Him. Psalm 37:4-5

Why does dreaming feel like a luxury, a gift given to a select few who deserve it? That doesn’t line up with what I’m hearing from the Father.

We can’t forget there’s an enemy lurking in the shadows. Of course he doesn’t want us to dream. He wants us to forget that God can do anything and loves for us to ask for the impossible so that He can show the world around us His love and power. Of course he doesn’t want us to walk in the beauty and gifts that were knit into our being by our Creator. No way is he going to stand by and just watch us surrender our talents, time and treasures to further the Kingdom without a nasty fight!

I am believing today that God’s light shines bright in us when we are walking in our gifts. You can be sure that the enemy will fight us on it, but that just adds fuel to our fire and we shine even brighter.

There have been seasons in my life when God was asking for obedience and faithfulness where He planted me. In other seasons, He was carrying me and hiding me under his wings. At times, he asked me to serve him way outside my comfort zone and skills in order to build my character and my faith.

No matter what season I found myself in, the “thing” that he planted in me was still there. Call it a calling, a dream, or whatever you want to call it, but it was whispering to the deepest part of me. The whispering never stopped.

Lately, it has gotten louder.

I don’t know where you are in your journey with the Lord, but I believe, according to His Word, that he has uniquely designed you for a purpose. He has placed you in the just the right places at just the right times to do the thing that you do best for His glory. He wants to use all of you, even your failures and weaknesses. Maybe He has put a dream in you already. If not, it’s coming. Maybe he is saying wait. Maybe He’s saying it’s time. Let’s go!

Let’s step out in faith.