What is the dream that God has given me?

Today, one of the speakers that I listened to challenged us to think about the “dream” that God has given each of us and not to give up in the process of the dream. I had to think about what the dream that God has given me really is. If the dream that God has given me is all about me, than it isn’t a dream from God. If the dream that God has given me is really all about him accomplishing it, than it is about him. So, I will be fairly transparent and honest in this blog (which is my desire through Contemplating different things) and talk about my dreams that God has really laid into me in the past.

When I worked at camp years ago, I had a student in my cabin that asked a few very hard doctrinal, biblical questions that came straight from a heart that honestly wanted to know what scripture had to say about these questions. I didn’t know the answer. I realized at that point that I was not competent in the word. Fast forward a few years into college and my heart was broken as I realized that many of the students that I was working with that were high school students truly didn’t know God’s word. They knew concepts from scripture but they did not understand the depth of the doctrine that scripture offers. I was worried. As I processed this my first couple years of college, God seemed to impress on me that for the rest of my life I would “develop followers of him.” Okay God. I will do that. Aren’t I already doing that? Isn’t that what you called me to do in student ministry? The answer was “yes, but I want you to be completely focused on that.” Wow. Okay, so everything that I do, I must siphon through this filter of whether or not it actually develops fully devoted disciples or followers of him. My dream that God has given me is that a group of students and adult leaders that I am working with would be “fully devoted” and that would play itself out in many different ways such that others that don’t know Christ would point there fingers and say, “What is so different about that group?” and with great confidence that group would stand up and identify themselves as followers of Christ. That group wouldn’t be anemic, wishy washy, or self focused, but that they would be radical in their faith walk. And I believe that this must start with me.

The speaker said that we must enjoy the process. We must be faithful to the process. If this end result becomes about me, if the end result relies on who I am, it will never happen and my sense of who I am in Christ begins to dwindle and I begin to fade in my mission and my dream. Would I die for the dream that God has given for me? Absolutely. But would I do for the process that leads me to the results of the dream? I’m not so sure. But should I be? Being faithful in the process is incredibly important that I do. I must follow hard after Jesus in my relationship with him so that I may be the “leader” of this radical group of followers that are “fully devoted.” I will work hard, but I won’t give up, shut up, or sit down as I walk along the process. I don’t know that it is healthy to make “pacts” or “promises” on a blogspot, but for the last 2 years, my mission has been this undeniable call to develop disciples. And I am doing that. And I will continue to do that. And I am loving it. And there are days when it isn’t the most thrilling thing in the world. And there are days when people take shots that are difficult to swallow. Sometimes, I end up with arrows in my back. But I will be radical for the sake of the gospel. In my neighborhood. In my relationships. In my local church. With students. With adults. With families. With my family.

My mission is to develop fully devoted followers of Christ and it would kill me not to be able to do this.

God, don’t let the fire die within me. Help me to pace myself in this journey of discipleship. Give me good mentors and disciplers along the way. Amen.