Are you daring to dream BIG? Do your dreams involve plans that are small or are they too large for you to even comprehend? Are your dreams generational, legacy dreams? What dreams have you let go of? What dreams have you allowed to die in the grave site of fear, discouragement and despair? I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone, the world is waiting to watch your dreams unfold! Don’t take them to your grave!
Continue to water and feed the seeds of your dreams and to take care of them – let your garden flourish and grow. Uproot the weeds when they try to choke out the viable, healthy plants. Do not get discouraged because you do not see your dreams become fully activated, as I believe our dreams are for us and they are also generational. Allow the garden to flourish on, as it is not just for you, it is for your children and your children’s children. Leave a well attended, blooming garden for the generations to follow to take care of and to continue to maintain and to grow.
We live in an extremely fast paced world, that if we do not see something come to fruition immediately we get discouraged and give up. However, our dreams are for us, they are for our children and for our children’s children – our dreams, our calling, our purpose in life transcend the generations, they are a legacy we leave when we leave this earth, they are to be carried on by others. We must continue to tell the story of our dreams and of our visions with passion and excitement to our children so that they can be passed along to the generations to come. For without the courage to declare our stories, they will not be passed along, and they will never come to fruition. We need to be courageous and declare our stories and our dreams out loud so that they can be passed along, so that they do not die with us.
I remember my grandmother loved to travel. She was always off somewhere doing something. We used to tease her that she was never at home, and when we was, she was always busy doing yoga/exercises, attending to her gardens, or entertaining. One time she went on a trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma. She visited Oral Roberts University. Upon her return, she declared that she wanted one of her grandchildren to attend Oral Roberts University. By declaring this dream, she believed it would come to pass. My grandmother only had a grade 8 education, however, she believed that we, as her grandchildren, would far surpass her educational level, in fact she wanted this for us. Grandma modeled for us true unconditional love. She selflessly wanted her grandchildren to surpass her accomplishments. My brother’s daughter Shekinah, graduated from Oral Roberts University in 2016. Grandma’s dream was fulfilled through her great granddaughter. My grandmother declared a dream that she knew would not be fulfilled by herself, but she believed by faith that it would be fulfilled by one (or more) of her grandchildren.
Do you have this type of faith, to believe in the unseen (Hebrews 11:1)?To believe for the generations to come, when you know that you will probably never fulfill the dream that you are declaring out loud for all to hear. Or is fear and shame holding you back? Fear of being mocked at, ridiculed? Fear of being ‘put in your place’ by those around you who doubt in the vision that God has placed upon your life. Are you stuck in fear, and therefore your faith cannot grow?
You and I are living right now in a prosperous nation because others who came before us, stepped out in faith, planted a seed, watered it and allowed it to grow. Our ancestors declared their dreams, they told their stories, they were bold and brave. Many of us who now live in North America, it is the result of our ancestors not being afraid to step out and to step onto a ship, sailing to a place that was unknown, venturing into unchartered territory. This type of faith, in believing in the unknown and the unseen, takes courage, it takes conviction and it takes motivation. Can you imagine if our ancestors were too afraid to step foot on the ship that sailed across the Atlantic? Your life would be forever different – in fact you may not have even been born.
Our choices affect not only us, but they affect many others for generations to come. Is fear holding you back from saying yes, from declaring your dreams? Your dreams and your actions affect your children and their children’s children.
Make the choice to not let your dreams die!
Jesus’ mother, Mary is an example of a person and a mother who stepped out in faith and believed in the dreams and visions that she was called to perform on this earth. Mary did not let fear hold her back. Mary’s life time calling and goal was not only for herself but for every single human being ever born on this planet. Mary’s purpose affects all of us even to this day.
Mary was living in a time period that if a women was found to be pregnant out of wedlock, the woman was immediately killed. Can you imagine the fear that might have been trying to grip hold of Mary because her very life would have been in danger of being ended, all because she chose to place her faith in what the Angel Gabriel told her and the vision and dreams given to her by God, that lay deep within her very being.
In the face of adversary, and I am sure many relatives mocking her and doubting her, Mary demonstrated unwavering steadfast faith, as she said yes to God. Mary was a brave and courageous women, she was a Women in Leadership in her times. Mary sets an example for all of us mothers to follow. Mary risked everything for herself, for you and for I, because Mary believed in her calling, in her gifts and her talents and what her purpose was here on this earth. Mary was not selfish, she was selfless.
Because Mary said YES to the calling and the vision that God had for her, the story of Jesus happened.
The life and the true story of Jesus and his resurrection power only happened because Mary believed and Mary said YES.
I encourage you to listen to Tara Shannon sing “Mary” (Patty Griffin cover). Watch the video link, as Tara’s video displays the dream that Mary had not only for herself and for her generation, but for all generations to come!
Song: Mary did you know? From the Passion of the Christ (music by Clay Aiken). Click on this link, and there are over 50 videos linked in to the following site:
