I Have a Dream: Begin to Envision Your Future
“I have a dream that one day......"
-Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963
dream [ dreem ] -verb
- to have a dream. (dictionary.com)
We celebrate Black History Month each year and are reminded of the importance of having a dream. Martin Luther King had a dream to end racism in America. Dreams compel us to take actionable steps towards a vision and specific goals for our life. These kinds of dreams are not just for national or global leaders; dreams are for ordinary people like you and me.
One of the most difficult things for many women over 50, is to be able to dream again. Here are some of the reasons I hear of why dreaming is difficult:
- I have been so focused on raising my family, that I have forgotten how to think about anything other than their needs.
- Between the day-to-day tasks in my job and then coming home to get things done there, I just don’t have time to stop and think about what I really want.
- I am so exhausted at the end of the day, that I don’t have enough energy to do everything that I need to do furthermore, focus on something that is beyond tomorrow.
I grew up in the hill country of Texas and spent many summer afternoons looking at the clouds and imagining what shapes or animals or objects I could see in the sky. How can I begin to develop that kind of inspiration into my life now? Here are three very practical ways to begin to dream for your life.
1. Margin. Let’s face it. Most of us have way too many things on our plate. Between our family, our jobs, serving in the church or in our community, our to do list becomes so long and we begin to feel like we are drowning in our commitments and responsibilities.
How can you begin to find time to just think and dream in your schedule? How can you have margin in your life so that you might be able to focus on life beyond the here and now? The first step to find more margin in your life is to decide that it’s important to you. Once you make that decision, then it’s a matter of clearing some time on your calendar. I’m not saying that that this step is easy, but it is worth it if you want to begin to live into the vision and future that God has in store for you.
Here’s my personal weekly practice. I have on my calendar every Sunday afternoon between 2 and 3, time to think about where I’m going in my life. Although I spend a lot of that time focused on that needs to happen in the next week, I can’t lose sight of what is coming up in the next month, 90 days, six months from now, and beyond. Designating this time each week, allows me to have a perspective on what is going on in my life and to make adjustments and midcourse corrections as needed.
2. Beyond ‘today’ thinking. Remember when you were a child and people would ask, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ The things of this world begin to get in the way of that kind of thinking. We need to open our minds to dream again We really need to think into the future. What things are on my bucket list? What dreams do I have that want to come to fruition? What do I see for my life in the next year? The next three years? The next five years?
Many women with whom I work, may be nearing the time when they are planning to leave their jobs or careers. The idea of retirement is on the list. Retirement may mean that you leave your place of employment, but then it becomes vital to think about what’s next?
Remember the idea of retirement only appears one time in the scriptures and it’s in the book of Numbers when the priests were to retire. Their role changed from being in charge of worship to mentoring the younger priests who would lead in worship. As believers, we need to shift our thinking from ‘work’ to contribution. How will we make a contribution to the world and serve Christ as long as we have breath?
3. What could be. When we begin to have a future-focused mindset, then we can begin to image what could be. How could my gifts, talents, and experiences be used to serve others? What vision do I have for my future? How can I begin to envision a new chapter for my life as I begin think about how God can use me to make a difference in the world?
You can begin by putting those pieces of the puzzle together to get a clear vision for what’s next for your life. My dream is to help women discover their purpose for the next season life by gaining clarity and direction, culminating in an actionable plan for Kingdom contribution.
If you want to have a conversation about how to do that, click here.
In the meantime, dream on......... elaine
