I woke up this morning thinking, “man, we really have been blessed”. Have you ever suddenly had a realization like that? Where you’re just going about your day and there’s this moment where God kind of opens your eyes a little wider to how He’s working?
Recently we’ve started to see how tempting chasing all these dreams in 2020 can be. With the year being dubbed “new vision for 2020”, I think it’s easy to see (no pun intended!) how much people are willing to take risks and chase after what they really want out of life. However, how does this translate to our Christian life?
The Bible specifically states not to put our worth in earthly things, but to keep our eyes fixed on heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). But doesn’t God also teach us to enjoy our lives, because they are a gift from Him (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19)?
I’ve been struggling with this question for much of my life, and if I’m being honest, I don’t have all the answers. There are definitely weeks (okay months or years) that I get frustrated as I watch myself run after really stupid things and feel “so much better about myself” when I get them. But how do we live in the moment, appreciating God’s gifts to us, without tumbling down the rabbit hole of greed and find ourselves far from where we started?
I think the key to answering this question is the position of our hearts whenever we receive something from the Lord. Are we quick to get excited about the gift and immediately grab it out of His hands, or is our first reaction to thank Him and recognize He was the one who gave it to us in the first place?
Just because you have a dream doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to pursue it in order to “walk humbly with your God”. I personally believe God gives us ideas on how to navigate our lives for a reason, and if we want to pursue them, that’s totally okay! If it’s not the right path, we can be confident He will be with us wherever we go (Deuteronomy 31:8) and He will never allow us to be destroyed (Psalm 121:5-8).
I guess my point is this: it really is possible to fully know we are blessed, to see the beauty of God’s provisions in our lives, and still want to chase dreams for our future.
I don’t think God ever wants us to come to a place in our lives where we stop pursuing, stop searching, stop wondering. Because when we stop, we become complacent. And I think we can all agree that complacency only leads to pain, stunted growth, and unrealized hope (Hebrews 6:10-12).
So this week, think about how you can grow in your understanding of God’s path for your life. Where do you think He might be calling you next? What is the first thing that pops into your head?
Have you been meditating on that thought for a while? Does it seem to keep coming back? You might just have your answer.
making mustard seeds 