Affirmation.
This is something that has played a big role in my life recently without me even realizing it. For most of my life I have never really been someone who needed to be affirmed. I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum, always had a wild imagination, and never really needed anyone to go along with what I was doing/thinking in order to feel better about it. The older I got, I felt like if I NEEDED to be affirmed, it meant that I was depending too much on the acceptance of other people.
HOWEVER *cue dramatic music* we all need affirmation. We all need the, “Hey, you’re doing awesome!” or “I like what you did with your hair!” or “You knocked that project out of the park!” or “You’re killing the mom game!” or whatever it may be, to some extent. Some may need it more than others, and some may have an unhealthy relationship with the need, but we’re all designed with a desire to be accepted in some way. And lately, I’ve realized that I’ve been depending on it way more than I ever have. I was recently talking with my friend (shoutout Demi) about a dream I had, and how I was wondering what the dream meant. (I dream a lot, but that conversation is for another time). I was telling her that I had gone to several people I’m close with to try and figure out why I’d been feeling the way I had. She brought it to my attention that maybe God gave me the dream so that I would seek him more in trying to figure out what it meant. Instead, I had been going to several people asking THEM to give meaning to the dream God gave ME.
So, not to get too deep here, because this can be applied to so many different areas of your life. But what if God placed that crazy business idea in your head so that you would lean into him more, and in seeking his face, he would be able to do what only he can do through you to bring that dream to pass? What if that feeling you have to make that job change, take that leap of faith, start something new, do something you’ve never done before was put in your heart so that you would begin to seek him in such a way that he can move in your life like you’ve never seen before? But what if you miss the opportunity because you’re asking your friend what they think and they don’t act as supportive about it as you expected them to?
Following me?
God gives YOU God sized dreams. Those dreams, ideas, thoughts, callings, etc. are not for anyone else but you. Now, I do believe that God can use other people in your life to bring certain things to pass. However, the point I’m making here is what are you seeking? If you’re like me, I’ve spent a LOT of my time lately asking the people around me what they think I should do about certain things, what they think about certain things, and so on. This is also because I absolutely hate making decisions and I’m always overanalyzing everything in hopes that I never make a mistake because mistakes suck and I don’t do well with making them. (working on that lol)
One of the most powerful moments I’ve had is when I realized that I was seeking affirmation because I thought there was no way God would fully trust me to take on all that he has for me. In my mind, the God of the universe trusting me fully to have powerful dreams, to rise above, to create, to shift, to grow, was beyond what I was capable of.
But here’s the thing.. God is faithful. He is good. He never turns back on his promises. His promises are YES. It may not always make sense at first, and your first reaction may be to go and ask someone close to you “What do you think I should do? What would you do?” But, why don’t we ask God that? The one who put those dreams there in the first place?
Some of you are reading this right now and there are things on your heart that you want the answers to. It may be a relationship that ended badly. Maybe it’s the loss of a loved one. Maybe you had a business idea and it hasn’t worked out yet. Maybe you’re believing for a pregnancy and with every month that passes you’re more discouraged. Maybe it’s an issue in your family that you think will never be healed. It could be something from your past that is still shaping your future. Maybe you’ve changed majors in college for the 3rd time and think you’re a failure.
Whatever it may be for you, I want to encourage you to seek God first. Not when all else fails, not when you’ve gotten yourself into a big mess, but FIRST.
You’re never too old to dream again. You’re never too far gone. Never too busy. Never too lost. My hope is that you’ll dig deep and find those God dreams, and speak life into them again. You can have restoration. You can have health, financial stability, happiness, confidence, peace, a new beginning. You can.
But first, seek.
“Seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.” -Matthew 6:33