Before my first piano recital–superstar in the making

When I was a kid, I was pretty certain one day I’d be a musical sensation.

And by “certain” I mean I envisioned my superstar attire–which, yes, included leopard print–practiced flipping my hair and imagined signing autographs for adoring fans. My one worry? No, not how I’d make it big. But how I’d dance on stage at the same time as I played piano. Serious concern, yes.

I’ve never struggled with imagination. Anne of Green Gables and I are kindred spirits there. And though I ditched my musical fame aspirations somewhere along the age of 11 (okay, fine, 18), I still dream big today. 

The specifics of my hopes and dreams have relocated over the years, but the landscape still stretches in panoramic view. Write dozens of books. Change lives through Christ-centered story. Make readers laugh and ponder and sigh in satisfaction. Travel, maybe someday teach. And, oh yeah, somewhere in there, get married and have kids.

And it’s times like these, when I put my dreams into words, that a familiar niggle of concern wiggles its way under my skin:

Is God big enough for my dreams?

I know, I know. It smacks of pride and idiocy…especially now that I’ve admitted it in writing. Is God, the Creator of the universe, the One who outshines every dream in every daydreamer’s heart, big enough? 

Duh. Yes.

But how awesome is it that God doesn’t “duh” us. He doesn’t give us a “Could’ve had a V8” smack and go on His way. No, I think he listens. I think he hears the worries of our hearts–even the foolish ones–and patiently waits for us to clam up enough to listen and receive His comfort.

Which is exactly what He’s offered me this week. I read Job 38-39 this morning. I’ve always appreciated God’s humor in these chapters. Like this: “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived sooo many years!” [emphasis mine]

Is there such a thing as divine sarcasm? If so, I think that was it!

But today, even more, I delighted in the poetry of these verses, God’s eloquence. “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it?…Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?”

With lyrical voice and rhetorical skill, God reminds Job just how big He is, how powerful, how creative. And I realize the question isn’t, “Is God big enough for my dreams?” It’s:

Am I perceptive enough to see His? 

Am I bold and brave and determined enough to reach for what He has for me? 

And am I humble enough to let Him shape my hopes, fuel my steps and lead the way?

God’s imagination is so much grander than mine–uh, and Anne of Green Gables’–no doubt. And here’s what’s extra amazing about it: there’s a sturdy bridge between God’s imagination and eventual–sometimes immediate (think: “Let there be light”)–reality. What God imagines He is faithful and powerful enough to bring about.

Maybe the specifics of my dreams line up with God’s. Or, maybe, like my onetime superstar aspirations, He’ll reshape and refine them over the years. But this I know: when He’s the one casting the vision, it’s reachable. 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…” ~Ephesians 3:20-21a

There were a lot of “I”s and “me”s in this post. How about you? Tell me, do you ever wonder about the scope of your dreams? Or, maybe you’re on the other side…have you had trouble dreaming big? How does God remind you of His dreams for you?

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