Say Goodbye

This song has been stuck in my head on repeat for the last week…

 Say goodbye to the you I knew before

 Say hello to a new beginning

 Say goodbye to the you I knew before

 This is your genesis

-Joy Williams

Maybe it was journeying back to a place I used to live and then coming back home to Kentucky. Less than 24 hours home and I was receiving “welcome home” texts, signed books on some of my favorite topics, cards from friends, a gift, and a garden still thriving - thanks to my grandpa. 

When I was a little girl, I used to dream of living in Kentucky. It was such a far off dream for me. Sitting in my bedroom watching a spider grow an egg sac (don’t try this!) full of babies in my bedroom windowsill with another house as the view outside the window. You walked out the door and were surrounded by houses and crimes. Walk into my room and you found sunny walls and a quilt covered in horses and sunshine. Books full of silly romantic notions, journals, piano books, and missionary stories. A completely different world - all of my own.

I went back to visit - and saw an overgrown city starting to dim. I’ve found that, while I still love the diversity and community of the cities I’ve lived in, I love the country more every day. Sharing with people who had never experienced country life was a dream I’ve always had. Being confronted with dreams that other people wanted for me reminded me of how I’m living exactly in my dreams.

For those who don’t know, I’m fairly well known for leading - in multiple cities and states - in the non-profit world. It’s, honestly, a hobby I enjoy. I equally don’t really care, when I’m not working, whether or not you know about it. I just care about seeing the next generation know they are seen and valued. There was a point in my life where I would have given up everything, if God asked, to serve in non-profits - if my dreams weren’t going to serve as big a purpose as the work I did or the ideas & words that people spoke over my life.

BUT…I learned a valuable lesson that led to Kentucky. God gives you dreams. There are so many people who (many are well-meaning) want to point to what they think is best for you or tell you to lay down your dreams because God doesn’t want you to have your dreams. I would argue the Bible speaks a little differently. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight…”

-Proverbs 3: 5 - 6 

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

-Psalm 37: 3 - 4

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” -

-Jeremiah 29:11- 14

There are those who seek to kill dreams or believe they couldn’t possibly be from God. Another camp of people like to cherry pick these same verses. They tell you God promises prosperity, straight paths, and the desires of your heart. I’ve found it’s neither of these camps. There’s another alternative.

Delight in the Lord. Seek Him with all your heart. Trust Him. Pray to Him and dream with His vision on this earth. He will tell you and reveal amazing things to you. It’s promised in Scripture. When you do those things, you will discover that your dreams are His dreams.

For years, I think, I doubted that my own dreams weren’t of God. Because they weren’t as “grand” as opportunities I turned down or what people wanted for me. My dreams always were way simpler - living on a farm, raising foster boys, writing, reading, sustainable gardening, caring for animals, and introducing people from the city to animals, plants, and all of God’s creation. Those were the places and creations that brought me close to God. I could hear him most clearly in the mountains. 

Despite my years of work and seeing how needed my dreams actually were, I did attempt to fit in other boxes or want other dreams that others wanted for me. That was their understanding of how to help people. However, I found people grew the strongest and closest to God in the simple things. Nobody needs to know the opportunities I turned down or what led to my current choices.

I will say that it’s not always the shiny or wealthiest opportunities that help the most people or bring the most joy. God can use your simple dreams (or your grand dreams). Trust Him. Talk to Him. Worship Him and He WILL make your paths straight. He’ll bring you right back to your dreams and bring more people into your own story. The world needs people to simply be who He created them to be. That’s where God gets the glory.