What If?
In my last blog, I discussed the benefits of daydreaming our way into our destiny.
The degree to which our destiny is fulfilled, however, will be determined by our willingness to dream beyond what we initially imagine, ask, or think.
God has called us to do the impossible, which means we must dream the impossible dream, in order to fulfill our Divine destiny. It can be scary, however, to dream bigger, especially if we have had set backs, failures, and unfulfilled dreams in the past.
If we are going to live in our destiny, we must do as the apostle Paul and forget what is behind and press toward the mark (Philippians 3:10). We must refuse to let the past determine our future.
Remember:
We are not defined by our past — We are defining our future.
Our future is unlimited, full of potential, and waiting to be activated.
As believers, we have the power of the Holy Spirit working within us. God is literally partnering with our faith to accomplish all of the good plans and purposes He has for us and through us. The question is how much will we believe for? What will we risk to think beyond the box of our current reality? How far will we travel into our destiny?
What is Possible?
God is the difference maker, and anything is possible for those who believe.
Think about it:
What if…?
What if we had no limitations?
What if we had no constraints?
What if we had no impediments?
What if we had no inhibitions?
What if…?
What if we had enough money?
What if we were smart enough?
What if we were gifted enough?
What if we were talented enough?
What if…?
What if we knew we were valuable?
What if we knew we were significant?
What if we knew we were favored?
What if we knew we were enough?
What if…?
What if we believed that God is who He says He is?
What if we believed that God could do what He says He could do?
What if we believed that we are who God says that we are?
What if we believed that we could do what God says we could do?
What would we do? IF…? The reality is that we are enough, and we have enough.
What is Enough?
Enough is a matter of perspective.
When Jesus encountered the hungry multitudes, he didn’t look at the little lunch offered by the little boy, and say like the disciples, “We really don’t have enough.” No, he saw the possibility in the little he had available and believed it was enough for a miracle (John 6:1-14). On another occasion, Jesus told a parable about three men with varying amounts of money (1, 2, and 5 talents). Jesus explains, that while they had different levels of resource, they all had the ability to invest what they had to bring about increase, and please their master with the return on their investment. Unfortunately, the man with one talent did not think he had enough. He did not think to ask, “What if…” with what he had.
In the end, he not only did not walk into his destiny to “be fruitful and multiply,” but also lost what he had hidden (Matthew 25:13-30). The point of the parable is not about how much we have, but that we have enough. The reality is that we have enough with whatever we have.
Use What You Have
You may have heard about David Murdock, the billionaire, who founded Dole Foods, and owns most of the Island of Lanai, Hawaii. He didn’t begin with a lot. In fact, after serving in the military in World War II, he was homeless and penniless on the streets of Detroit, Michigan. Instead of accepting his misfortunate circumstances, he convinced a man to lend him $900 to open a diner. He soon sold it for a $700 profit, bought a car, and drove to Arizona, where he began building one off homes that soon became track homes, developments, and a real estate empire. He then invested in his passion for the food industry, and created Dole Foods.
When asked how he did it, his reply was, “To do the impossible, you must see the
invisible.”
We all start with something, even if it seems like nothing.
Oprah Winfrey was born into abject poverty in rural Mississippi, but managed to become a world influencer and accrue billions of dollars through her various entrepreneurial and even philanthropic projects.
She advises:
“Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use
it. Dwell in possibility.”
Bruce Willis had a stuttering speech impediment from early childhood until he became an actor as an adult. With no therapy, he literally acted his way out of the disability, and his dream became a reality.
The movie, The King’s Speech, depicts King George VI becoming the spokesperson for Great Brittan during World War II, despite having a severe stuttering problem.
Moses had some kind of a speech impediment.
If not for God’s encouragement and empowerment, Moses may have been too overwhelmed with the seemingly impossible task, and derailed from his destiny to deliver the Israelites from slavery (Exodus 4:10-12).
The first disciples were uneducated, common people, who seemed ordinary, but accomplished the extraordinary and changed the world (Acts 4:13).
Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and Jeff Healey all became successful performing musicians even though they were blind.
Franklin Delanor Roosevelt contracted polio early in his political career, became paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. He did not, however, let his disability stop him from becoming the President of the United States.
The following quotes epitomize his dreaming capacity for himself and our country:
“We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a
better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.”
“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.”
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”
Following is an excerpt of a poem that my wife, Theresa, wrote. The poem captures the essence of dreaming beyond the possible to step into the realm of the impossible.
“What if”
A longing
living in the shadows of a child’s secret dreams,
sprawling through the edges of borders
that define what could be..
What if there was something greater
than what was expected?
What if we could color a world
without lines
that defines how small we are?
What if?
Awakened,
Dreams , like sentinels arise from the mist,
carrying a torch of freedom
Guiding us on a path,
where who we are
becomes greater than our fear
to live asleep.
In a moment, the Son comes
and the shadows flee.
What once was cannot compare
to what we realize
we already are.
What if?
We were created to dream of impossible possibilities — to dream beyond our perceived constraints and the obstacles before us.
Will we dare to dream? I want to encourage you to take some time this week to look at the various areas of your life and ask, “What if…?” Then, it is just a matter of taking risk to venture into the good things God has prepared.
I would love to hear about the steps you are taking to walk in greater measures of your destiny, and how you are changing the world in some way in your environment or sphere of influence.
If this blog has encouraged you in some way, send it to your friends, so that they may be encouraged as well.
Look for my next blog outlining the pathway of dream to destiny.