Dreams

I believe there's a certain magic to the month of January.

Which may be an unpopular opinion, because at first glance, the month doesn't have much to boast about. However to me, it feels like each time January rolls around, a renewed sense of hope spreads across the globe like wildfire.

It's evident in the sheer number of resolutions we declare each year - it's like January 1st gives us annual permission to believe that change is possible. With that first sunrise of the new year, the world re-dedicates itself to becoming better. Even if for just a month, we believe our craziest dreams are achievable.

And, we might even take the first wild steps to achieve them.

This year on January 1st, I realized a long held dream of mine - I launched this blog. When I say launched, I don't mean to make this sound like a bigger deal than it is. Realistically, you are not looking at the most trendy, well designed, articulate blog the internet has to offer.

And, I'm okay with that.

I almost didn't follow through on pressing the "publish" button - it was so much easier to write in the comfort of my own journal. What matters to me is that I finally mustered up the courage to let my world know that this space existed.

I believe the best things in life aren't the easy things. The pursuit of worthwhile dreams will freeze you with fear and fill you with faith in the same moment - that's how you know they're worth it.

In the past few days my blog has been live, I've swung between faith and fear a lot. Sometimes I'm tempted to delete this site and pretend it never happened; other moments I want to share it with everyone I've ever known.

Regardless of my emotions, I know that deep down, this is my dream and I owe it to myself to at least try.

I'm not sure if you're supposed to blog about blogging, but again, I'm not too sure of anything I'm doing here. When you close this page and move on with your day, I don't really want you to remember what I had to say about myself - that's really not my goal.

Here's what I hope you get out of this post. If nothing else, please read this.

Your dreams matter.

Yep, those ideas that make your stomach churn with equal parts panic and delight.

The places your mind drifts to when you can't sleep.

The projects you could work on forever and never get bored.

The person you want to be.

Your wildest New Year's wishes are vitally important. Your far-fetched, brilliant hopes for the future are worthy of action.

There's nothing that can disqualify you from chasing your dreams, simply because they are yours. Others may very well call your dreams too much, too big, too different - but no one can take away the fact that they belong to you.

Yes, there will be obstacles in the next 365 days on this earth, but you'll never know if your dreams are possible unless you try. Even if you just take the tiniest baby step forward, take it one step at a time. Today is the perfect day to begin. With each move you make, you'll build the strength and stamina to take you to the next.

The combination of full out faith and fear is invigorating. We weren't created for comfort zones.

Don't let doubt keep you out of the game. You were given your dreams for a God-ordained purpose, and He wants to help you follow through. God has plans for us that go above and beyond all we could ever ask or imagine, but we can't wait passively for them to come to us. We have to take a risk to see them come true.

So, if you take nothing else from this, please put this on mental repeat: "my dreams matter."

Once you really believe that your dreams are uniquely precious gifts from above, you will be more inclined to act. And what may feel like a tiny step here on earth is making big waves in your heart. That fear and faith combination? It's like adrenaline, helping you move forward.

What if 2019 was the year you finally did it? The year you stepped into the unknown and turned your daydreams to reality. The year you accepted the desires inside of you as worthy of pursuit.

The year you let fear fuel you instead of freeze you.

You owe it to yourself to at least try.

Never doubt God's mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest expectation! Ephesians 3:20, The Passion Translation