Dare to Dream

40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When the man came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”

(Luke 18:40-42)

Recently, I attended a Friendsgiving with three of my close friends. I should start by saying that my friends and I are like walking bodies of tears. Whenever we get together, all we do is cry. I cherish this level of vulnerability I share with the women in my life. It has provided me with a safe space to just be myself. Through this, I have discovered that being myself is actually okay. For most of my life, I have often felt like the odd one out, and in many ways, it was accompanied by an overwhelming sense of rejection. Knowing this, I would try my best to not deviate too much from other people’s expectations of me. In doing so, I found myself conforming to the dreams and desires that others had for their lives, while not fully embracing the dreams and desires I had for myself. It has been a lonely journey filled with abundant support but minimal understanding. I would often feel like no one understood me. But that was okay, because as long as people liked me, it didn't matter if they understood me, right?

Let’s get back to the Friendsgiving. At the conclusion of our night, we sat around and prayed for one another. Each person was asked, "What exactly do you need from God this year?" Surprisingly, none of us stated anything that was remotely similar to what the other person needed. We each had something very specific and unique to our situation. That’s when it hit me, no two dreams are the same. What one person desires for their life could be the complete opposite of what someone else wants for theirs. I think God made it this way so that we could always turn to Him for guidance and provision. If we were all the same, we would just follow each other’s blueprint with no need to fully lean on God.

The theme for Tabitha’s TEA Party in 2024 is "Dream Girl." It’s about reimagining a life that is possible when you increase your faith in God. While I was eager to launch this new series, I couldn’t help but wonder if I really even had a dream. I couldn’t remember the last time I asked for something that I truly wanted. Many of my prayers to God have been centered around what I felt I needed for that particular season of my life. But I honestly couldn’t think of anything that I would ask God for outside of my normal routine with my family, career, and nonprofit. If God came to me right now and asked what I truly wanted, I would be too afraid to say because I know it would probably disrupt my entire life. And that is scary! But for 2024, I have decided to confront my fears and dream like crazy.

As I conclude my last entry for 2023, I want to ask you the same question Jesus asked the blind beggar, “What do you want?” It’s okay if you haven’t given it much thought, but I assure you that it is worth contemplating. We serve a God who supplies all our needs and He is also a God who will grant us the desires of our hearts. Here are three practical steps that I am taking to align with what I truly want. I hope you find them helpful:

1. Do an inventory of your heart. What are you missing? When no one is watching, what does your heart truly desire?

2. Be honest with yourself. You can’t ask for what you want if you are not honest with yourself. The blind beggar could have easily asked for more money, but instead, he asked to see. He didn’t want wealth. He wanted vision.

3. Wait for it. Often times, we can’t receive what we truly want from God because we are too impatient. In the Bible, God promised Sarah a son. In her impatience, Sarah persuaded her husband to sleep with her maidservant to fulfill God's promise in her time rather than God’s. From this, Ishmael was born, but what Sarah truly wanted was Isaac. Although she did eventually have the son who was promised to her, she had to deal with the consequences of her actions during her moments of impatience.

Lastly, reflect on the goodness of God. We often read about the expectations that God has for us. Many of us see God as a great lawmaker. But we don’t fully recognize Him as a great gift giver. God wants to do good things for you. But you have to believe it. On that note, I want to leave you with the following scripture. Let it sit with you the next time you are afraid to dream.

Matthew 7:11: "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

Allow this passage to be a reminder that God is generous, caring, and responsive to your needs and desires. As you move into the new year, I encourage you to dream big, to be honest about what you truly want, and then take those desires to God in prayer. Embrace patience as you wait for His perfect timing. Let's get ready to dream like we've never dreamed before. My prayer is that you walk into a season where you can see your dream come true!

P.S. Tabitha's TEA Party is shifting. I invite you to join us at the last TEA Party of the year and probably the last TEA Party as you have known Tabitha's TEA Party. I will share more on that later. :-) Register here.