It might not be what you thought

I was once absolutely SURE of what my God sized dream was! I would have put money on it. I was banking on it! 

Why, I don't know. Who can figure out God?
And, I cannot predict the future.

Three years ago I was busy, busy busy applying for a specific grad school out in Washington. Through a series of serendipitous events, I was sure that this specific school, this exact vocation was what God was leading me to do. 

I was wrong. And, then I fell kind of hard when it didn't happen.

Putting all my eggs in the "this is what God has told me to do" basket was a real let down when I found out I was carrying the wrong basket of eggs.

But, in hindsight (isn't it always 20/20?) I"ve been learning a few things. Here are six things I've learned about having a God-sized dream.

1.  Dreaming is one thing, but it might not turn out the way you thought it would.

I've had a long time dream to be a Counselor. The program I wanted to attend is for Counseling Psychology. Through events with my husband getting a much wanted change in his current job, and not finding a job in Washington, we decided to stay in Iowa. This meant, no school in Washington for me, and none for the foreseeable future either.

What could I do? First of all, I grieved the loss of that dream. It took awhile. That step is very important. It was truly a loss for me. 

Then, I began to be open to what God might want to do for and through me whilst staying in little ole' Iowa. Through my sister-in-law, I found out about Emotional Polarity Technique practitioner training in Indiana. After praying, I decided, this was something I could get excited about (eptworks.com). 

It wasn't exactly the dream I had for going to Washington to grad school, but it was in line with my dream. I want to help people heal emotionally. This is one way, a holistic-health-way, of helping people let go of unhealthy emotions. A win.

2. Having faith and being flexible are not mutually exclusive.

If it makes sense, it seems like I had more faith in my faith, than in what God wanted to do. As I said before, Who can figure out God? The good thing is, He does like to surprise His children. And, He loves us unconditionally. I can trust Him in that. And, I learned I needed to be flexible and filled with faith at the same time. That may seem unclear.

3. Have a dream, but keep it in open hands, not closed fists.

I wrote a post about this during the thick of my waiting. Better to keep a loose hold on things and people. This includes dreams.

4. Asking God what His dream is for you is a good idea! Then, listen.

This is a step I don't remember blatantly doing. I did a lot of praying. But, a lot of the praying was, "God, open the doors for me to do this thing."

5. Be willing to sit with ambiguity.

For two years, we looked for a job for my husband where the school was. We waited. It was hard. We had to live with not knowing what we were doing for a long time. I think that most of my growth happened during this hard waiting time. Don't despise waiting.

6. Your God-sized dream may not end up to be what you thought it would, but it will probably be better.

Sometimes I ask myself if I think that what I'm doing now is better than what I really wanted a couple of years ago. And, I have to say that yes, even though I'd love to go to grad school some day (and that is not out of the question), I know that where I'm at is right where God wants me. Right now.

I'm living the dream. I'm not waiting for it to happen someday. I'm living it right now.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, friend!
If you have a God-sized Dream, or are waiting on one, I'd love to hear from you in the comments!


Blessings to you!

~Anne

Linking up today with Coffee for Your Heart, Three Word Wednesday and #TellHisStory.