Tuesday, December 30, 2014

2014: A Year for Dreams

"We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort." ~ Jesse Owens, American Athlete

I'm reaching for some big dreams, ones I've dreamt about most of my life. In 2014, I signed my first two writing contracts. It's amazing to live in the midst of a dream come true. I'm honored and humbled to be here.

This year, I felt confirmation that any dream God places in our hearts can come true, if we're willing to discipline ourselves and work hard. Reaching for a dream isn't about perfect timing, or perfect circumstances, or perfect people.

It's about a perfect God and His perfect plan.

If we sit back and wait for everything to be perfect before we pursue our dreams, we will never reach for them. How many times have we said: "I'm too busy," or "When the kids grow up," or "When I'm retired"? God is looking for ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He's looking for people who are living busy, ordinary lives. When He called His twelve disciples, that's exactly what they were doing. If they would have said: "Jesus, can you wait until things settle down at work before you ask me to follow you?" they would have missed out on the greatest adventure of all time.

C.S. Lewis said: "The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."

Everyone is busy. We all fill our sixty minutes an hour with something. Could we not fill some of those minutes pursuing the dream God placed in our hearts?

God called me to pursue publication during the busiest season of my life, while parenting four small children. My twin boys were not quite two years old at the time. It was probably the most inconvenient season for God to ask me to pick up my pen. It has challenged and refined me like nothing else could, but it has also given me some of my greatest blessings.

Has it been easy? No. Has it required sacrifices? Yes. Have I been disappointed, rejected, tired, frustrated? Yes.

Am I happy I answered the call? More than I can ever say.

But this dream isn't about me--or you. A dream is a gift from God. It's a Seed from Heaven, planted into our heart soil, waiting to grow and bear fruit for His purposes. It's designed to further God's kingdom and bring glory and honor to Him. In the process, it makes us feel truly alive and brings an abundance of joy.

How can we say no?

My prayer for 2015 is that you reach for the dream God placed in your heart. Answer His call, go on the greatest adventure of your life, and change the world. Sixty minutes an hour.

Your Turn: What stops you from pursuing your dreams? What was your favorite memory from 2014? What are you most looking forward to in 2015?

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EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA!
 
I have some fun guests lined up for 2015! Every Wednesday I will welcome a fellow author to my blog for fun interviews, guest posts, and lots of giveaways! My first guest will be one of my favorite authors, and dear writing mentors, Susan May Warren. She'll be joining me here on Wednesday, January 14th to talk about her newest release, Always on My Mind. But I'll be back before then to talk about my favorite subjects: history, Minnesota, writing, faith, and family. See you in January!


5 comments:

  1. So happy for you and I stand wholeheartedly behind you in saying dreams do come true and God's timing is always perfect, never too early or late:) It's a joy to begin another year with one of my most beloved reading/writing friends. Bless you, dear Gabrielle!

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    1. You've been so encouraging along this path, Laura. Thank you for reminding me that God is never too late or too early. He's always right on time. I can't wait to see what 2015 brings for both of us! Hopefully a face to face meeting. :)

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  2. What an amazing path to getting published. What great assurance you have to be fully in the Lord's will in regards to your writing. Congrats!

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    1. Thank you, Melodie. It's been a joy to watch you follow your dreams. I'm hoping for great things for you this year. :)

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  3. I'm so happy you're seeing your dreams coming true, Gabrielle! I often think of you writing with small kiddos and I know it is hard! But you are honoring God with your talents. All the best with the novella! My word of 2015 is dream, too! :)

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