Dreams are the fuel for driving us toward a goal. We dream about our future, our plan for life, our next adventure and things we want. What if the biggest dream we could even imagine was too small for God? I thought about dreams I had in the past that God fulfilled more abundant than I could have imagined. The man I married, the children God entrusted to me, Godly friends, and wonderful spiritual experiences were only a few of the blessings God had provided. God’s provisions have been grander than anything I could have dreamed.
The pursuit of a deeper understanding of God’s desires for my life set me on an adventure I had no desire or thought of at the time. My baby boy was in his final semesters of high school, and the empty nest was knocking at my door. Each day I had a feeling of doom, who am I after he leaves. I have been a stay at home mom (and dad eight months a year) for too many years to count. If there was a need at school, I was there. Games, shows, volunteering were all on my schedule.
I have heard many times, “Be careful what you ask God.” I say ASK! I asked God what he wanted me to do. He set me on a journey of seeking him and what he wanted to do in and through me. I listened, learned and looked for every opportunity he was placing in front of me. I saw doors closed, and paths turn, but I persevered. I followed where he pulled and identified where I was pushing without his lead.
Writing was never in my plan. For ten years I had written devotions for women on the Baseball Chapel website. I wrote, a very talented woman edited and posted them. I didn’t consider myself a writer. But God kept placing writing on my heart and opening opportunities to write. Some very talented women came alongside me, encouraging, supporting and teaching. I listened.
I became overwhelmed with the nos and struggle of the learning curve. God asked me to do the next thing. I did. I obeyed. When I disobeyed, I heard God laugh. I washed away the doubt and drudged through the, what if’s. I did the next thing that led to a 
dream bigger than I could have imagined.
This past Wednesday I hit the send button delivering my non-fiction manuscript to the inbox of the acquisition editor of a publishing house. Those words were not even in my personal dictionary until I dreamed, set goals, listened to God and did the next thing. The emotions were like being on a roller coaster you didn’t want to go on with crazy friends. Others were cheering me on, but my heart was sinking with the thoughts of how I could fail. I did the next thing. God provided the strength and confidence according to his power. I stopped relying on my own and clung to his.
What are your dreams? What would happen if you did the next thing God asks you to do? How could you reach those dreams by clinging to God’s strength? What if God wants to do more than you could ever imagine?
Go, do the next thing.
