#64, Why You Should Have Big Dreams

I love new year's resolutions. I love pushing forward and changing. I love growing. I believe in the promise that God will continue His good works in us. (Philippians 1:6). “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” I believe that until the day I die, God will be working on me and the sky's the limit. I am 37 years old and I can look back and see countless and amazing changes He has worked on my body, heart, and soul. This is always in His time and way, but also because I have believed that He could heal, teach, and guide me. 

So, are big dreams bad? I have heard women caution each other, saying that we shouldn’t dream too big, pushing ahead of what God has planned for us. I actually think there is some truth in this. We might have ambitions that are not God’s calling or become too impatient to wait on God’s timing, but, when partnering with God, big dreams have the potential to shape our soul and usher us even closer into the shelter of His wings. Today, I’m going to be very open with  you on aspects of my own journey as I share three ways that Big Dreams have beautiful potential. 

Big dreams open our minds to possibilities.
I spent a lot of my life living small. If you knew me when I was young, you would have met a shy quiet girl or young woman consumed with worries. I didn’t like to make mistakes and my solution was to never do anything beyond what I knew was completely possible. If it wasn’t something I had done or knew instinctively would be easy, then I didn’t do it. One of my biggest dreams was to visit other countries, but when the opportunities and information came along to participate in foregin exchange opportunities, I found excuses not to chase my dreams.

Then I met my husband. He is naturally daring with a robust adventurous spirit. The moment I shared the dream to travel with him, he was full of ideas. It was incredible. The moment I opened up to the possibility, my mind saw opportunities and was ready to figure things out. Six months after we got married, while he was deployed to Iraq, he encouraged me to go ahead and study Spanish in Buenos Aires. He encouraged me, saying the dream was big but possible. 

I did it, going away for a couple months to a country I’d never been with people I didn’t know. It was a life-changing experience. One that I would never have had if I had refused to dream big. 

Big dreams bring us into the power of praying.
Big dreams bring us into the power of prayer. If you only do what you can do alone, you will never learn to turn to God. Our self-reliance keeps our spiritual health frail and brittle. But, dreaming big and sharing our hopes with God, teaches us to turn to Him for provision and guidance. 

Micaela had all the cards stacked against her when she was born. Her brain injury was severe, her brain hemorrhaging right after her premature birth. But, I had hope and big dreams that she would learn and develop beyond what was statistically presented by physicians. However, I needed so much from God. I need Him to heal her, to bring good doctors and therapists and teachers into her life. I needed Him to give my husband and I patience and wisdom day after day. That big dream drew me closer to God than simple acceptance of the circumstances. 

Big dreams teach us endurance.
Big dreams require more than a simple hope; they require endurance. There are no quick fixes to big dreams. We have to work hard, pray hard, and trust in God’s timing. That endurance builds amazing spiritual, emotional, and mental muscles. 

When the pandemic hit, my emotional eating took a turn for the worse. Finally, instead of trying to do the next fad diet or ultra restrictive cycle, I decided to dream big that some day food would have no control over me at all. That dream had me searching for new answers and then had me pushing forward day after day, determined to figure things out. It also required me to learn from failures and get back up. More humble than before and yet wiser because I chose to learn and move forward instead of starting over again and again. 

Big dreams are incredible. My biggest joy in working with ladies as a life coach is helping them with those big dreams and watching God work in them, creating them into stronger, more creative, and more faith-filled women than ever. It might be their weight loss, parenting, or even routines in their homes. Whatever it is, the dreams are beautiful. Maybe, in this aspect, it really is a good example of “The bigger the Better.”

Don’t forget to sign up for the free trainings I’ll be doing over the next couple weeks. The link is very simple, www.loraarmendariz.com/freetrainings and you can also find it in the show notes. 

In the next episode, I will be sharing with you the specifics of my own journey and how I lost my weight for good. Our testimonies are powerful and I hope mine lends you strength to your journey. Until then, Merry Christmas!

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