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In the Old Testament we read the story about the spies that went into the Promised Land. The spies were amazed at the abundance they saw in the land. It says that they cut down a single cluster of grapes that was so large it had to be carried on a pole between two of them. They returned to the children of Israel in the wilderness and said, "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit." (Num. 13:27)
The land that God wanted to give them was so beautiful and bountiful that it was beyond anything they had imagined.
But there were some problems. . .
The spies told the people that the nations that lived in the land were strong and that they had fortified cities. Then they said, "There we saw the giants...; and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." (Num. 13:33)
The promise of abundance and blessings was quickly forgotten and the people wept. Rather than believing in God's promise, they believed that God was going to let them fail and that they would die if they tried to enter the Promised Land.
I find it interesting that they said, "We were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." Do you really think that they stopped and asked some of the giants, "Hey! Mister Giant, do I look like a grasshopper to you?" I doubt it.
As we pursue our dreams it's easy for us to lose sight of the promise, the benefits, that we'll receive by reaching them. The problems seem so much more real, and so much more immediate, then a far off hazy dream. We might even begin to believe that God wants us to fail and that we'll never reach our dreams.
We will face difficulties, disappointments, and even discouragement as we pursue our dreams. But there are two things we should never forget. The first is that God loves us. God doesn't want us to fail. He wants us to succeed. He wants us to trust Him and He will give us everything we need to reach our dreams. Do you really believe that?
When Jesus was teaching about prayer in Luke 11:11-13, He asks if any father would give his children the opposite of what they wanted. He tells us that if we know how to give good gifts to our children, even though we are evil, how much more will God give us what we ask for.
The second thing we should always remember is that God is the one who gave us our dreams in the first place. He wants us to reach them more than we do. He was the one who had promised the land to Israel and He was the one that was going to help them have it. God is not only able to help us overcome everything we will face along the path to our dreams, He wants to help us more than we can imagine.
When you think about reaching your dreams, are you feeling like you're a grasshopper facing a giant? Or do you believe that God gave you your dreams, wants you to succeed at them, and that He will guide your through it all.
David could have felt that he was a grasshopper when he went out to fight Goliath. But David kept his eyes and his mind focused on the result that he wanted to achieve. Rather than thinking about how small he was, that he wasn't a warrior, and that Goliath had the size and experience to destroy him, David realized that it wasn't up to him alone. God was going to enable David to overcome the problems.
We need to be realistic about the risks and the rewards of pursuing our dreams. There's nothing wrong with feeling some fear when we think about facing problems, but we should never let that fear stop us. In order to help us learn how to do that, it's a good idea to exercise our muscles. I'm not talking about our biceps or any other physical muscle. What I'm talking about is our risk taking muscle.
During the next week, and really this is a habit that we should develop and maintain for the rest of our lives, take some steps outside of our comfort zones. This isn't about quitting our jobs, or taking some other major risk, but about doing something each day that is a little uncomfortable for us. That may be starting a conversation with someone we don't know, or admitting to someone that we were wrong and asking their forgiveness.
One of the biggest hurdles you will have to overcome when going for your dreams is your own comfort zone. Start getting out of it today and make a regular habit of doing something that is uncomfortable. You will be amazed at how quickly your focus will switch from the risks you had been afraid of to the rewards you will soon be enjoying.
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