What Is Holding You Back From Following Your Dreams?

I’ve been thinking about dreams lately. No, not the ones you have at night. 😊 The ones you have when looking up at a sky full of stars or fluffy clouds. The ones you had as a kid when you wondered what you would be when you grew up. The ones you had before fear of failure crept in.

What is keeping you from following the dream that has been burning in your heart for as long as you can remember? Because I know you have one. What is holding you back? Are you distracted? That has been a HUGE thing that has kept me from doing so much that I feel I need to do or even just want to do. Are you afraid of making mistakes? We all make mistakes. That’s what determines growth in our lives. When we make a mistake, it doesn’t mean we failed or that we are a failure. It shows us an area where we can learn, an area where maybe we lack some knowledge in.

The first time I took my driver’s license test, I was very nervous, and I didn’t end up passing for reasons I don’t quite remember (or maybe don’t want to think about). But one of the things I do remember is when I pulled up to an intersection and got in the left turn lane. I remember there being a green arrow but not putting my foot on the gas pedal and making the turn. I remember being so embarrassed and ashamed because I didn’t know what to do in that moment. I was confused because I hadn’t learned all I needed to know to not just pass the test, but to interact in the proper way with the other drivers on the road. I even cried on the way home. But after that, I grew in my driving skills and the next time I took the driver’s test I passed. Now green arrows are my favorite thing ever! 😉

I made a mistake, but that mistake didn’t change my value as a daughter of the King. I made a mistake, but that mistake showed me where I needed to grow and learn. I want to learn to love mistakes. I want to learn to pick myself back up when I fall down and keep running the race. Not so I can prove myself to others or even myself. Not so that I can feel good about myself, though that is a good feeling. ☺️ But so that I can learn to not focus on myself and how I compare to the rest of the world. So, I can learn to focus on loving and serving my Creator and the people He has put in my life.

Mistakes are going to happen. Distractions will try to come at us. But being afraid of failing and not doing the thing we feel God has put on our hearts, is going to be a lot harder to accept than taking that next step and making a mistake or two.

Also, it’s important, maybe in anything we do, to remember why we’re doing it. Why do you want to follow this dream? How will your life change if you do follow/accomplish it? Is it only for yourself? Or will it serve other people in some way? Knowing why we are working towards something will help us on the hard days and give us motivation to keep charging ahead.

But most important for us to remember is that the Lord is in control and in charge of our lives. Proverbs 19:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” Sometimes, I think the Lord allows us to do things that we want to. Maybe we’ve prayed about what job to get or where to go to college and it doesn’t feel like God is telling us either way where He wants us to go. He has given us free will, so I don’t think He will ever force us to do something. But the Bible tells us that He gives wisdom to those who ask for it (James 1:5). So, sometimes we just need to take a leap of faith and trust that He will direct us and change the direction we’re walking if need be. Sometimes, He will give us a strange peace that even though the next step might be scary or unknown, we know we’re going to be ok because God will be with us.

What’s your next step?

✌🏼& ♥️

Hannah