Devotional: Dreams and Goals {Psalm 118:24}
Let us rejoice today and be glad.’ {Psalm 118:24}
This past Sunday I was driving home from my parents house and Brody passed out in his carseat — an hour drive home in pure silence. These are sacred moments.
So I drove through Starbucks, grabbed myself an extra hot soy latte, something I used to treat myself with on weekends and haven’t had since maternity leave, and soaked it in.
Still sleeping, awesome. I pulled into Target parking lot and began checking things off my to-do list. I wrote a meal plan, grocery list, caught up on messages and email.
Still sleeping, man I have to pee, but this is AWESOME!
So I pulled out my notebook and re-listened to Rachel Hollis’ Rise Together Podcast on her daily practice 10/10/1 — 10 years, 10 dreams, 1 goal {listen to it if you haven’t}.
I sat in my car in complete silence trying envision my life in 10 years and I couldn’t. I tried to write down 10 big dreams, and I couldn’t.
My twitchy fingers reached for my phone as a distraction.
I can’t remember the last time I sat in silence to think about my dreams.
Rather most of my days are spent with my mind divided into a thousand small splinters, each going a different direction — Brody’s schedule, my schedule, work meetings, email drafts, class plans, dinner plans…
Is my mind so busy accomplishing and organizing, that I’ve lost my ability to dream? Bull-dozing over a world beaming with beauty and hope?
The stare on my face had to be about as blank as the sheet of paper in front of me.
So I prayed over the blank sheet of paper in front of me. Asking God to help me fill this page, and many more pages in my notebook with BIG dreams.
Dreams that allow me to use the gifts and talents he’s given me to do meaningful work.
Devotional Prayer: Achieving Goals and Dreams
Dear God,
Thank you for today.
A new day, and a new blank page to fill.
I pray you can help me fill this blank page with big dreams;
and then give me the discipline and patience to work towards those dreams.
Printable: Pin this devotional prayer: Dreams and Goals – Psalm 118:24
Free, downloadable phone background of this prayer here!
18 comments
I can totally relate to this! My friend asked me in front of a group of people at my birthday dinner this week what my goals and dreams are for this year. I thought for a minute and was so embarrassed that I didn’t really have anything to report. I have a little girl who is a little younger than Brody and I feel like since becoming a mom, I have stopped setting “goals” for myself. I love this prayer and am going to start praying it!
Allie! You’re so not alone; I think this is very common for new moms and I’m feeling the same way. We become so focused on our littles we give up our mental space for dreaming…but this too is a season. And I’ve been praying about it for a couple weeks and already filling my notebook with big dreams for the future! Thanks for giving this a read and praying you find what lights your soul on fire to dream about! -Lindsey
Thank you for sharing this. I get so wrapped up in trying to get everything done, that I have forgotten who I am in Christ.
Thank you for sharing this,I get so wrapped up in trying to figure out how to get everything done that Ihave forgotten who I am in Christ .
Marika! You’re not alone, I’m right in that ‘to-do’ list struggle right alongside you! I keep trying to focus more on the outcome (what really important) than the to-do list; for example, I really need to clean the bathroom as I give my son a bath, or do the dishes or…but what is the priority right now, giving my son a bath and what if I just sat + splashed + played with him and was the present parent that God is everyday in our lives. We are in this struggle together! Thanks so much for giving this post a read! -Lindsey
Good to know I am not the only one that has the blank feeling…. thank you for sharing thr prayer
Yes, you’re not alone! I’ve been re-listening to the Podcast I linked to in this video on repeat during my workouts + praying about it a lot and I’m happy to report I’m slowly starting to write some dreams down on paper which feels awesome! Prayers you can find time to dream again too! Thanks for giving this post a read! -Lindsey
Lindsey thank you so much for this! You really bless my life.
I send you a huge hug
Judith! Thank you so much for reading this post and following along! I hope you found these words encouraging! Have a great day! -Lindsey
Thank you for sharing this! I needed the reminder of having discipline and patience while working towards my dreams. And, the reminder to ask God for help in dreaming. So often I forget that He does actually care about my dreams and me having dreams.
Whitney! Thank you so much for reading this post + for the feedback! You’re not alone trust me. I constantly need to remind myself to invite God into my plans + dreams. And then the patience as we wait for our lives to slowly unwind to meet our dreams, I think that’s something we all struggle with. I’ve heard of people keeping prayer journals where they write down their prayers and go back and write ‘answered’ next to them when they are — what a cool visual to see how many of our prayers are answered in time. Thanks again for checking out this post! -Lindsey
Love love love this! Thank you for sharing <3
Leigha! Thank you so much for giving this post a read today! I’ve been trying to focus more on the outcome vs. the to-do list, but it’s much easier said than done! We are certainly in this together. And hopefully this gave you a bit of encouragement to find some time to pray over your future. Praying for a bit more dreaming and clarity for both of us! Thanks again for giving this post a read! – Lindsey
Thank you for the beautiful reminder to dream. It was encouraging to pray over this today!
Amanda! Thank you for checking out this post! I always need a good reminder to slow down and be more mindful in prayer; but glad to hear I’m not alone. Thank you so much for giving this a read! -Lindsey
Thanks for sharing!! I feel like I’ve forgotten how to dream too, lost in the daily hustle and bustle, I also can’t envision my life in 10 years. It’s like I can’t see. I’m comforted in knowing I’m not the only one and thank you for your prayer!
Amanda! Thank you for giving this post a read! I’m glad to hear I’m not alone — we get so caught up in the doing that we forget to come up to see the big picture. I’ve been trying to focus more on the outcome vs. the to-do list, but it’s much easier said than done! We are certainly in this together. And hopefully this gave you a bit of encouragement to find some time to pray over your future. Praying for a bit more dreaming and clarity for both of us! Thanks again for giving this post a read! – Lindsey
Thank you for the beautiful reminder to slow down and be mindful in praying for our future! It was so encouraging today!