“Does a dream HAVE to serve others?”
I’ve heard the question before as I share my definition of a dream:
A dream is a God-inspired desire to use your unique gifts and talents to serve others and change the world.
“Isn’t it okay to want to do something for myself, like climbing a mountain just to see if I can do it?”
Of course! There’s nothing selfish about challenging yourself with some sort of quest that’s not intended to benefit anyone else directly. You’ll grow and learn, and you never know how God might use your quest to inspire others in ways you’ll never see.
Just be prepared for surprises and interruptions. If you’re following Jesus with an open heart, He’s likely to use and grow your quest in unexpected directions. Unless you’re absolutely determined NOT to serve others, He has a way of using our efforts in places we couldn’t possibly anticipate.
Perhaps it’s just me, but I’ve discovered that the pursuit of happiness leaves me pretty unsatified. When I seek things like contentment and peace, happiness is frequently a by-product. And I find that the most effective way find those is to focus a bit less on myself.
When I initially envisioned my 1500-mile ride along the Missisippi River, I thought it was about me doing a bike ride. My friend Dick Foth encouraged me to open my heart and listen to what God had in mind. I’m so grateful for Dick’s wisdom, and it’s difficult to think about all we might have missed if we’d focused only on our own desires.
Service is never a “have-to.” In fact, a lot of the formal, pre-packaged “service” that happens around church eventually wears people out.
I think Jesus wants us to hang out with Him and write great stories with our lives. If we do that, and if He’s part of the stories, He’ll use them to touch people in exactly the right ways.
Go ahead–climb a mountain, ride a bike, run a marathon, mentor a student, whatever it is that makes for a great story in your life. Take Jesus along, and get ready to be interrupted.
Have a blast!
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