Letting Future Dreams Shape Your Now

One day I want to go to seminary.

I haven’t said that out loud too many times, but I already know where I would go if this were to ever work out so I might as well throw it out there, right? It’s not for this season and it honestly might never happen. That’s totally not the point. You know what that dream does for me? It shows me the direction I want to go. It reminds me where I want to invest my time and my effort. It shapes what I want to do with my life.

That dream to go to seminary one day means that today I listen to podcasts and take notes. It means I chase the fascination of learning about the Bible. It means I read books and discuss theology and listen a lot.

My big “someday” dreams, whether they happen or not, influence what I choose to do today. That’s why those dreams matter.

If my big dream was to get my kids out of the house and lounge around, how would that affect what I did today? Would I be investing in shepherding and leading my kids like I try to do now because my dream is to send passionate Jesus-followers out into the world? I doubt it.

If the big dream was to make a lot of money and acquire a lot of possessions, would we try to model our philosophy about money and possessions around the knowledge of the generous and radical God who loves and gives? I doubt that too.

The big picture matters so much because it affects what I do today and what I plan to do next week. What doesn’t matter is if it works out just like I picture it. It’s not the details that matter in this case. It’s the overarching view that’s shaping my life.

At the beginning of the year I decided that I want all my goals to connect back to four main thoughts: family, words, hospitality, and discipleship. Having that bigger picture for my goals affects how I set my small goals for each month. Are the things I’m trying to do connected to one of those four things? If not, should I be doing them? There are many good things in the world. I can’t do them all; this is a quick way for me to narrow down my options.

It’s June. We’re almost half-way through the year and I know how those four words have shaped the decisions I’ve made and the work I’ve done so far this year.  (This is another reason I love my Powersheets; it’s a quick overview of what I’ve done with my months and weeks and days.)

You probably have big dreams swirling somewhere in your heart and mind. Maybe you refuse to think about them because you don’t think they can happen. Maybe you won’t say them out loud because it feels impossible or presumptuous. Maybe you refuse to name them because you’re afraid that will make you discontent where you are.  Maybe you won’t visualize any details because those details might not come true. Let go of all that.

Name them. Tell someone about them. Pray about them. See what kind of picture it all adds up to.

Then shape your life in those directions. Think about how you can implement even the tiniest part of those dreams into your life. How can that direction change what you are doing today? It will change how you live now if you think about where God might want you to go in the future.