Are You Hospitable to God’s Dreams?
Jesus Christ said that His purpose is to give us “life—life in all its fullness” or “more and better life than [you] ever dreamed of” (John 10:10 NCV, MSG). The “more and better life than [you] ever dreamed of ” is the future that exists in God’s mind. It’s the dream He has for each of us. We can tap into this dream and create a preferred future for ourselves and others.
If we want to.
A seminal moment in my life happened when I was eighteen years old. I spent some time with a middle-aged man who was living a relatively uneventful life. He’d experienced moderate success in a career centered on helping people. He had a nice wife and nice kids and a nice house. He was a good and decent man. I liked him a lot.
One day, in kind of a dramatic way, he tried to offer me some life advice from his personal story. “Terry,” he said, “I never asked God for too much. I just told Him I wanted a nice, quiet life and to be able to help a few people along the way. And I told God that I didn’t want to suffer too much. That’s exactly what I have.” I was only eighteen, but at that moment I knew I wanted more.
Maybe instead of telling God what was in his mind, this nice man should have asked God what was in His. I bet God was thinking more—more than this guy had ever dreamed of.
I don’t think many people launch their lives wanting to be average. Regardless, that’s where many of us land. I don’t think wanting less is our God-given first instinct. Somehow, we learn to want less along the way.
You may feel that you are living a life that is good enough. You may be well educated, employed by a Fortune 500 company, and involved in a life-changing volunteer organization in your community. But even more is out there.
“Open to the possibility that there are dreams and purpose and meaning inside you—opportunities you’re not yet aware of.”
Or you might be someone who feels your life is not successful, and you are altogether unfulfilled. You are unsatisfied with how things are turning out and may not be sure whether more exists. Many people are bound by a survivor’s mentality because they cannot understand the opportunity to partner with God in creating inspired futures and, ultimately, a better life for themselves, those they love, and even the world. These bigger and better concepts never materialize because they believe God moves only in capricious whims, snapping His fingers to make things happen. Some would say that a human being’s destiny is to be a puppet to God, the grand puppeteer.
That view is sad. And incorrect.
“Our true Creator births visions and ideas in our minds and gives us the will to do something about it!”
I believe you can experience the best possible future. It’s the future you choose to create, not something forced on you. The future you prefer. The future you want. Your will is involved.
Significance for hospitable leaders and followers comes in discovering and pursuing God’s dreams for us, aligned with His good dreams for the world. Losing ourselves in a dream bigger than ourselves is the secret to fulfillment.
Are you pursuing God’s dream for your life? Drop a comment and tell us about it.
Adapted from Live Ten (Thomas Nelson) and The Hospitable Leader (Baker Publishing Group) by Terry A. Smith. All rights reserved.
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