Faith and Fantasy (2)

Jesus said, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you...’ (Matthew 7:7 NKJV) But that promise is qualified by this condition: what you’re asking for must be in harmony with God’s will. (1 John 5:14) When you sign a legal contract you cannot afford to overlook the fine print. And as someone with a dream, you can’t afford to overlook reality. If you do, reality will stop you cold in your tracks. When God gives you a dream, He gives you all that’s needed to fulfil it. The more unrealistic your dream, the more you’ll be tempted to depend upon things you cannot control (such as luck). You must balance the boldness of dreaming with the reality of your situation. Yes, you need to reach far beyond what you think you’re capable of, but at the same time base what you do on your strengths and other factors within your control. The more concerned you become with things you can’t control, the less you will do to improve the things you can control. And when you do that, you start living in a fantasy world. When God gives you a dream it will play to your strengths. Catherine B. Ahles observed: ‘We spend most of our 20’s discovering all of the hundreds of things we can be. But as we mature into our 30’s, we begin to discover all of the things we will never be. The challenge for us is to reach our 40’s and beyond and put it all together—to know our capabilities and recognise our limitations—and become the best we can be.’