Dream a Little Dream

Dream big dreams. Small dreams have no magic.  -Dottie Boreyko

Abraham is 99 years old, and God just renewed His promise of a son through Abraham’s 89 year old wife. Abraham is honored, but he does something I might do. Laugh. I too would laugh at the absurdity of a 99 year old man and 89 year old woman producing a child…a baby…on their own.

It’s not natural. Most would say it’s impossible. I agree.

Knowing this Abraham does something I’ve done a thousand times. He took a God sized dream…and shrunk it. Abraham already had a son, Ishmael, through his servant. The conception was approved by Sarah, so legally, Ishmael was Abraham’s heir.

It made sense. Most would say it was logical. I agree.

So Abraham asked God, “Why not Ishmael?”

BOLD Dreams | Goals | Prayers

My 2016 Word of the Year is BOLD. I am striving to have bold prayers, bold goals and bold dreams. The truth is those lines blur. Goals, dreams and prayers mix and interchange. Sometimes a prayer is a dream. Other times a dream is a goal.

One of my dreams is to build a t-shirt brand – shirts with a purpose. So I kicked off 2016 with some goals. I made a goal to sell 300 shirts in 2016. It seemed big (I sold less than 20 in 2015), but honestly possible and achievable. It’s less than a shirt a day.

It was small and safe dream.

In prayer form, I was basically asking, “Why not Ishmael?”

We need a Miracle!

In Abraham’s story, God is giving, giving, giving. He’s gracious. He’s generous. He’s the doting grandfather on his favorite grandchild.  But when Abraham asks, “Why not Ishmael?” the mood changes. God is now longer doting, but stern and serious.

God’s answer is to the point, “No.”

The plan is Isaac, through Sarah. It’s bigger than the possible and achievable. God’s plan needs nothing less than a miracle.

If we do it right, our blurred lines of dreams, goals and prayer will need nothing less than a miracle.

I offered Ishmael to God, so He challenged me. He told me be bold, dream big, and ask for a miracle. I upped my dream/goal/prayer to 1000 shirts. It’s honestly beyond me how that will happen. As I write this, it feels impossible – more impossible now than when I wrote it 3 weeks ago.

But I need to dream big…even when it seems impossible.

I opened with the quote, “Dream big dreams. Small dreams have no magic.” That quote is almost right. It should say,

Dream big dreams. Small dreams leave no room for miracles.

I challenge you. Dream big dreams. Leave room for a miracle.