The Origins of a God-Sized Dream Blog Series Pt. 1

Most springs in recent history it’s been a tradition of mine to plant a packet or two of sunflower seeds in the mulch bed just outside our kitchen window.  In the days, weeks, and months to follow I await anxiously to see just how many seeds will actually take root, sprout, and eventually bloom.

Unfortunately, there’s been a year or two when torrential rains washed the seeds away before any were able to take root.  On the flip side, there have been years in which the soil and growing conditions were optimal enough to yield quite an abundant harvest of the bright, sun-loving flowers.  But those are the extremes.

In a normal season less than a third of the seeds I plant take root.  Of those, only about half make it to full blossom.   Take last year’s crop, for example.  Of about 20 seeds sown, 10 managed to overpower the weight of the mulch above to sprout, but only six survived the elements and neighborhood rabbits to reach full bloom.  Based on those numbers it was an average year with an average yield.    But by other counts, last year’s crop was anything but average.  All because of one seed in particular.

One particular seed sprouted and grew to over three times the size of the others.  A seed that I did not personally plant as its blossom didn’t quite match that of the others surrounding it.  One that sprouted long before the ones I planted and one that did not reach full bloom until much later than mine.  One that became known as the “rogue” sunflower, a likely offspring of the previous year’s crop or the result of a foreign seed deposited there by a bird.  And one that far surpassed my hopes and expectations.

Those sunflower seeds remind me of dreams.  Some dreams we dream up never take root.  They’re sown with the best of intentions, but the storms of life wash them away before they have a chance to take root.  There are also those that take root but are unable to withstand the elements of time to reach full bloom.  And then there are the divine dreams that sprout in the midst of and even despite our own efforts. God’s dreams for us that do not come to fruition within our time frame, but His. Dreams that far surpass our hopes and expectations because they are rooted and nurtured in Him. Those are the best dreams.

Around the time I discovered the “rogue” sunflower, God planted in me the seeds of a dream.  A hybrid variety derived from my various passions, talents and experiences:

• • My love of writing and travel and my heart for international mission outreach

• • The written communication, management, and training and facilitation skills I acquired during 10 years in the corporate world

• • My passion for creativity as well as for functional and wearable art that led me to start and operate my own jewelry design business for five years

• • The experience I gained volunteering for four different fair trade organizations and on the trip I took with one of them to Guatemala where I met and interacted with the artisans they worked with and supported
  • The marketing skills and knowledge I gained working with a digital marketing consultant for four years

The dream?  To glorify God and use the gifts and talents He has bestowed upon me while pursuing the passions and interests He has instilled in me to further His Kingdom.  Specifically, I would like to use my gifts and talents, in partnership with Christian organizations, to support artisans in developing countries through the sharing of their stories.

A dream God planted in my heart while I was attending a writing conference in the midst of pursuing my own dream to write a book.  A dream that began to shine brighter than my own.

Here’s an excerpt of a journal entry written upon my return from that writing conference:

“I get the sense that this dream is much bigger than I can fathom.  That it’s not so much about me writing a book.  That it’s more about growing my platform and becoming a voice, an advocate for the least of these.”

Perhaps a book is part of this dream.  Perhaps not.  Only God knows.

In the days and weeks following the conference, I toyed with the seeds of that dream and anxiously waited to see what would take root.  However, other things began to steal my attention and I found myself being pulled down the rabbit hole of self-doubt.   And, as the weeks turned into months, the seeds of that dream began choking on the weeds of burden and neglect.

I’ve recently made the effort to do some weeding and pruning in my life.  Enough to be able to see things a bit more clearly once again.  And I’ve come to discover those seeds are now poised to sprout.  All they need is a little nurturing and TLC.  And I’m now ready to give them a bit of both.

I don’t know what the seeds of this dream will produce, but I’m excited to embark upon a journey of discovery to find out.  And I will trust in the Master Sower that the seeds will bear fruit in due time.  His time.  And I’m looking forward to sharing the adventure with you.  So stay tuned!

“‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:40

For the latest on this journey of discovery, please travel on over to My Passion Project page.