The American dream and God’s dream are two very different things radically worlds apart. The American dream used to be a very easy thing to get 30, 40 years ago. It meant you buy a home in the suburbs, Dad goes to work, Mom stays home and bakes cookies. Ward and June Cleaver. Ozzie and Harriet. Father Knows Best. The American dream was pretty affordable for most people. It didn’t involve a whole lot.
Today, the American Dream consumes people’s thoughts and actions. When I was a kid not so long ago, things looked drastically different than it does today. Unfortunately, families today are busy keeping up with the people their kids play ball with or the people they work with. Thus, keeping the American Dream machinery working requires both the husband and wife to work and their identity begins to take form in their self worth. If you want to get serious about what God’s dream is for your life, you have to decide if you’re going to settle for the American dream or for God’s dream.
Here are four actions points to start working on to focus on God’s dream for your life.
There may be relationships, friendships that are pulling you down, because they have goals that are counter to what God has for your life. You can’t always please the crowd and God at the same time. You dedicate your life to God. Dump the excess baggage. A lot of things aren’t necessarily wrong but they’re not necessary. There are a lot of things I could do with my life that keep me from the best, from what God really wants me to do with my life.
Is getting God’s dream for your life worth a day of your life? Have you ever taken an entire day and done nothing but be alone with God? Talk to God in prayer. Let God talk to you through the Bible. Relax. Think. Write down the thoughts He puts in your mind. Set some goals. Look through your schedule. Set your priorities. Spend the day saying, “God, where do You want me to go?
We blame other people. God says if you’re faithful in small things you’ll be faithful in greater things. God is testing you where you are. God doesn’t give you two blessings until you use the first one He’s already given you. The way you build a talent is by using what you’ve got. It strengthens and gets strong and better. The Bible says, “To those who have, more will be given.” That sounds unfair. But it’s because they use what they’ve got. If you don’t use it, you loose it. It’s like a muscle — it atrophies.
Both dreams and discouragement are contagious. The people who are your closest friends are either going to help God’s dream for your life or they’re going to hinder it. There is no such thing as a neutral friend. You’d better choose the people who are closest to you very carefully. I’ve seen too many people miss God’s dream because a friend had no interest in it. If you want to get God’s dream, you want to get around Godly dreamers. It’s caught, not taught. It’s contagious.
What’s your dream? Not the American dream but what’s God’s dream for your life? You must be willing to say I’m not going to conform to the standards of this world, but go for the glory — God’s glory. And then you go for it. It won’t happen overnight.