Dreams and gifts, like running shoes, are useless if we leave them in a box.
I had to go buy some new running shoes a few days ago. My old ones had a hole in them that rubbed a blister on my heel when I wore them. They were simply worn out. My new ones were shiny and comfortable. When I brought them home, I put them in my closet in their box.
A couple of days later, with the big box kind of cluttering up my closet floor, a little thought began to nag me. The thought was, “the shoes are absolutely useless in that box.” Seems like a no brainer, I know. Running shoes can’t help me get in shape if they aren’t on my feet being put into use.
The same goes for treadmills and fitness club memberships. If we don’t use them, they can’t help us. We tend to put lots of things in metaphorical boxes. How many times have we said something like, “I really want to know more about the Bible,” and yet, we never open it? It’s on a shelf somewhere or still in a box. God’s Word does us no good on a shelf.
What about dreams and plans we had once upon a time. Was there something you really wanted to do or somewhere you really wanted to visit? My mama and I were recently discussing an author we both enjoy. She was a nurse, but always wanted to be a writer. When she retired, she decided to pursue her dream. She’s written six books at this point. She dusted off the box.
It’s impossible to know what plans God has for us when we cram the gifts we have been given into boxes and leave them in the closet. It’s impossible to know the good God can accomplish with dreams we are passionate about if we keep them tucked away and never pursue them.
Sometimes, some dreams or ideas just aren’t meant to be. But, sometimes a seed gets planted within us very early and we just forget about it for a while. Sometimes, we leave it packed away for a long, long while. Life intervenes and we get busy.
A new year seems like an ideal time to pull out some boxes and see what may be inside. If you have always longed to visit Italy, for example, perhaps God has something incredibly important to your faith walk, that He wants to show you there. If you have always wanted to go on a mission trip, perhaps God wants to open your eyes to something new and change your life along with the lives of others. If you have always wanted to paint, it’s possible that God wants to use that gift too. His creativity is limitless.
The point is, if we believe that God made us, and we are trying to walk with Him and follow His will, then we have to believe that He is helping to shape our dreams. He is after all, the giver of our talents and gifts. Maybe 2015 is the year we should intentionally pray about our dreams and gifts we have left in boxes. It could be that now is the time that we can put them to use to shine God’s light to a dark world.
One thing is certain, we will never know unless we remove the lid. It might be a good time to dust off that Bible too. What do you think?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂