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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: DREAM (01/02/20)
Christmas holidays are past but the season of dreams lingers on.

Shiny promises of fresh starts, miracle makeovers, Vegas worthy wins and 365 never before available amazing opportunities all dangle before me like left over tinsel.

2020 stretches out as a large blank canvas, a vacant calendar, and the cliched empty page.

Dreams are attracted to such vacuous space. But what is a dream? Is it something I can achieve on my own? Or is it bigger? Is it possible to reach in a year? Or is it a lifelong pursuit?

Yes to all of the above.

But in order to reach my dreams I need goals and goals need steps and steps need baby steps. Good thing there are 365 days!

Okay here I go! I’m allowing myself to dream.

Fitness and health dreams surface first. I imagine a full, rich, and rewarding life unhampered by excess weight or aging. But I need baby steps. Hmm … better clean out the fridge and empty the cookie tins!

Oh, excuse the crumbs…Where was I? Oh yes, dreams.

Finances… who doesn’t dream of being debt free? Oh, to have enough to live on comfortably but still give away enough to make a difference.

Gah! The dogs are barking at the mailman again. Excuse me….hmmm…. bill, bill, bill, bill…..Maybe my dream is to just pay for Christmas by September?

Unless I win the lottery or get a major raise my financial dreams need more than a year to come to fruition. But it was worth it to see the joy on the children’s faces. I mean, you can’t take it with you, right? It’s all about family, isn’t it?

So what’s my family dream for 2020? Actual face time? Engaging and interesting conversation? Eating dinner without interruption? Those all sound like goals…hmmm. Maybe that my family knows I truly love them unconditionally. But how? Good thing I have a whole year to figure that out. Maybe I’ll start a Pinterest Board!

(2 hours later)

Man, I’m exhausted from all this dreaming and I haven’t even thought about my career, my friends or what kind of fun stuff I want to do in 2020.

I kinda feel like I’m missing something. Oh, Faith! Do I even need a dream for my faith? I’ll just boot up Bible Gateway and do a search. Be right back.

(1 hour later)

Have you ever read The Passion Translation? It’s blowing my mind! I mean I’ve never really understood Paul. He was so educated and such… but look at what I found in Ephesians 3: 16-20


“And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power.

Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.

Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!

Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.”

Now that sounds like a Faith Dream I can get behind. Supernatural Strength? Explosive Power! Endless Love! Dreams beyond what I can even imagine!

I think maybe I’ll start here. I have a feeling all the other dreams will fall right into place.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Passion Translation (TPT)
The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017 by BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC.
Used by permission. All rights reserved. thePassionTranslation.com
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This article has been read 431 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Barbara Culler 
01/10/20
Remember that this is a leap year- you get an extra day! I enjoyed this realistic take on dream goals. Well done!
Holly Short
01/10/20
I was excited to read this just by the title and the story didn't disappoint! I loved every line!
Noel Mitaxa 
01/12/20
Love the honesty, the humour, the sense of determination to break the dreams into achievable steps - and the priority of God's word or guidance.
Marlene Custer 
01/13/20
“Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you....”—a great verse for 2020.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
01/16/20
This is quite lovely. I enjoyed the sprinkling of subtle humor. Two tiny bits of red ink--don't start a sentence with a numeral. It's a silly thing, but most experts agree. You could fix it: The year, 2020, looms... Or Looming in front of me, 2020 will be a great year. The other thing is I bet you'd be surprised at how many exclamation points you used. One or two is the most you should have in such a short piece, and many would say they should be used only in dialog. You have a great selection of words, so let those words do the exclaiming for you! You did a great job of writing on topic and delivering a clear Christian message. Congratulations on ranking 11th overall. Happy Dance!