Do you ever look at someone who has achieved something great and think, She was born to do that! We look at Deborah in the Book of Judges, Queen Esther, Mary, the mother of Jesus, Joan of Arc, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, Frida Kahlo, Mother Teresa, Margaret Thatcher, Serena Williams, or Joanna Gaines and we are in awe of who each woman is, what she has overcome, and what she has achieved. We think to ourselves, Snaaap, she is KILLING it! She is one wise and powerful woman.
As we think about women who have defied the odds and pursued their dreams, we can sometimes assume, perhaps subconsciously, that those marvelous women possess some sort of special “unicorn powers” or super-power gifts that you and I would never have access to. The truth is, the women that you and I admire, both past and present, have a beating heart just like ours. Each one of them has or has had insecurities, fears, and setbacks just like you and me. The one thing we know for sure of each woman that we look up to is this: she dreams.She dreams impossible dreams. She fights to see them come to pass, and she doesn’t take no for an answer when it comes to the fulfillment of those dreams. She believes she was created to dream; and dear friend, so are you and I.
No matter who you are or where you’ve come from, no matter how many Benjamins you have in your bank account or moth balls you have in your pockets, no matter how bold you are or how shy, no matter how perfect your pedigree or how sketchy your past—you, lovely one, were born for a lifetime of beauty and hope. Within you are unlimited dreams to pursue as you live your wild life. You are here on purpose for a purpose. No matter the details surrounding the story of your birth or beginnings (trust me on this one), you were born to dream of a better, sweeter, fairer existence for you and the world around you.
Other folks may say you are a screw up. Your parents might think you are crazy as a box of rocks (a common expression in my home, thanks to a popular children’s movie), or you might believe the nonsense that you are just here to live your ordinary life. Quiet. Inconsequential. Never making waves. Never pushing back. Never raising a ruckus. Never chasing after the next best thing.
Well, sister, I’m not buying it. I’ve read a book on it, and from Genesis to Revelation I’ve discovered that you and I were built to dream about the impossible, the out of reach, the beautiful, the lovely, the someday, the not yet. We were created to dream about things that matter, things that spark joy: to find ways to serve others, ways that push us to our limits, ways that help us face our insecurities and hang-ups. All of it.
Excerpted from the book She Dreams: Live the Life You Were Created For, Tiffany Bluhm, Ó 2019 by Abingdon Press. All rights reserved. Available for pre-order.
