You know the one. It shows up when you’re folding laundry or sitting at a red light. The bakery. The book. The little shop. The ministry. The trip. The business with your name on the sign.
And almost as fast as it shows up, you shove it back in the drawer. Who am I to do that? I’m too old. Too tired. Too broke. Too late.
I want to tell you something I had to learn the slow way: that picture in your head didn’t come from nowhere. God put the ability to imagine inside you on purpose. And sometimes the dream that won’t leave you alone is Him, knocking.
Your imagination was His idea first
Think about it. The very first thing the Bible tells us about God is that He created. He dreamed up light, oceans, sunsets, and the way a baby’s hand curls around your finger. Then He made us in His image (Genesis 1:27). That means the creative spark in you is a family resemblance.
God isn’t nervous about your dreams. He’s the one who wired you to have them. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us He has plans for us, plans to give us hope and a future. And Ephesians 3:20 says He can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Read that again. Your imagination is the starting line, not the ceiling.
Psalm 37:4 says when we delight in Him, He gives us the desires of our heart. I’ve come to believe that part of how He does that is by planting the desire in the first place. So when a dream lines up with who He is and keeps tugging at you, take it seriously. It may be His plan whispering in your own handwriting.
Real talk: what’s really stopping us
Let’s be honest. Most of us aren’t held back by a lack of ideas. We’re held back by fear wearing a church dress. It sounds holy. Maybe it’s not God’s timing. Maybe I should just be content. Sometimes that’s true. But a lot of times it’s just fear with good manners.
Here’s what I hear (and have said myself):
- “I’m too old.” Abraham and Sarah would like a word. So would Moses, who started his biggest assignment at 80.
- “I don’t have what it takes.” Neither did Gideon, hiding in a winepress. God called him a mighty man of valour anyway (Judges 6:12).
- “What if I fail?” Then you’ll learn something, and God will still be God. Failure isn’t the opposite of faith. Never trying might be.
- “What will people think?” Some won’t get it. That’s okay. They weren’t the ones He gave the dream to.
God didn’t give us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). So when fear is the loudest voice in the room, that’s a pretty good sign it isn’t His.
How to actually start
You don’t need the whole staircase. You just need the next step. Here’s where I’d begin:
- Write it down. Habakkuk 2:2 says to write the vision and make it plain. Get it out of your head and onto paper, messy and all.
- Pray over it honestly. Not a polished prayer. Just: “Lord, is this You? If it is, open the door. If it isn’t, take the desire away.” Then pay attention.
- Take one small step this week. Buy the domain. Bake the test batch. Write the first page. Small steps build trust, in God and in yourself.
- Tell one safe person. Someone who’ll cheer for you and pray with you, not pick it apart before it has a chance to breathe.
- Expect detours, not dead ends. The path will bend. It almost always does. That doesn’t mean you heard wrong.
Faith isn’t waiting until you feel ready. It’s moving while you’re still a little scared, trusting the One who gave you the dream to walk it out with you.
So go for it
That dream isn’t silly. It isn’t selfish. And it isn’t too late. The God who imagined the stars imagined you, and He tucked a piece of His plan inside your heart. Pull it out of the drawer. Dust it off. Take the next step.
A prayer for you: Lord, thank You for the dreams You’ve placed in me. Give me the courage to say yes, the wisdom to take the next right step, and the peace to trust You with the rest. Let what I build bring You glory. Amen.
With so much love,
Momma J 🤍
If you want a quiet place to ask God what He’s put on your heart, Still, Small Voice walks you through learning to recognize His leading. And if you want to stay rooted in the Word while you chase the dream, Grace Unfolding takes you through the Bible in a year (use code GRACE20 for 20% off). Come say hi on Instagram @mommajscozycottage.
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