What if I stop catastrophizing everything in life and start imagining the best case scenario instead? What if I stop worrying and start living? What if I dream big dreams like a child again? What if I do not give in and listen to the doubters, the cautious people, or the envious people who are aplenty?

If you are a believer, you know that God has given each of us a plan and a purpose and a calling for our life. He instills certain strengths, gifts, and desires in our hearts and then sends us out into the world to chase and fulfill our calling. It sounds so easy, right? I wish it were that simple.

Following a dream or a calling means not allowing other things to eclipse that calling. Stress. Worry. Busyness. Health issues. Other people. All of these things can easily eclipse a dream and keep it from coming true. Try your very best not to let other things in life keep you from achieving the very thing you were created to achieve.

What if Moses had not truly trusted God and allowed his lack of confidence concerning his speaking ability to eclipse his calling? What if Ruth had allowed her husband’s death and her imminent decline into poverty to be the end of her story? What if Mary had allowed an unexpected pregnancy and the societal condemnation surrounding that to be the end of her testimony? These three giants of the faith pushed past their fears, ignored their misgivings, and followed God’s calling into a plan that was grander than anything they had ever known or seen before. It wasn’t familiar territory for any of them, yet God guided them throughout their incredible stories.

So, with everything in me, I am going to do my best to start dreaming again. Start trusting God that, when He places a desire in my heart, it doesn’t have to be crystal clear to me about how that dream will come to fruition. He will clear the way and create the path that I need to walk along as I fully trust His guidance.

Moving forward, I’m going to start imagining the best case scenario instead of the worst case scenario. I’m going to embrace the idea of meeting lots of beautiful, lovely, and caring people along life’s journey. From now on, I’m going to share my life and my dreams with those people who know me well and want me to succeed. Those people who cheer me on, support me, and encourage me. Those people whose hearts are generous and happy and reciprocal when it comes to love and support. Then, I’m going to try my very best to tune out those other people who don’t actually know me, my dreams, or my heart at all. Of course I shouldn’t listen to their voices if they don’t actually take the time or the effort to know what is in my heart. That seems so obvious to me now that I have written it down.

I hope you will be included in my circle of friends as we chase our dreams and wildly cheer for one another along the way.