When It Feels Scary to Dream

2025 is off to a rocky start. And, 2024? Well, it proved to be difficult in more ways than I could have possibly imagined. But it’s also been full of unimaginable beauty and joy. Both things can be true. Because, Jesus.

I’m working on all my new year reflections and focus, but it’s proving to be harder than I expected. It’s a strange mix of expectation and anxiety when I try to put my favorite ink pen to paper. Maybe you’re feeling the same tension I am around the new year. Maybe, like me, you’ve had moments when you’re not quite sure it’s safe to dream or set any goals for 2025. Maybe you’re not sure you can handle any more disappointment, which seems to be lurking at every turn. Yeah, me too. Yet, I still dare to hope when I remember this: the faithful love of the Lord endures forever; His mercies never cease (Lamentations 3:21-22) …

Be brave, friend. Lean in. Dream anyway. Plan prayerfully. But, live fully surrendered to Him.

Here’s the thing: God has always been and always will be. He hung every star in the sky long before I took my first breath. Not only does He know all the details, He sees the big picture. Whether we’re dealing with significant loss or celebrating significant wins, He. Is. Faithful. And, He. Is. Good. He crowns the year with a bountiful harvest, and even the hard pathways overflow with abundance (Psalm 65:11). Always. Because that’s just who He is. It’s who He’s always been. Nothing has taken Him by surprise yet, and He knows what He’s doing. He’s still working on your behalf.

{God Take Me Back in 2016}

The Lord has been reminding me of something this week, and I am so thankful. I appreciate that He graciously and lovingly corrects us when necessary. I am especially grateful for those times He drops something right in front of me and whispers, "Beloved, this is for you." See, there has been ALOT going on. The last half of 2015 was challenging. I sat across from a sweet friend this weekend and she said, "You must feel like you've been through the ringer." And, I do. Mostly because there has been too much noise, too many voices, too many things competing for my attention. That's when He does it. That's when He drops that just for me something right in my lap. I can't ignore it. I can't explain it away. I can't deny it's exactly what I need in that particular moment. This time He used a song. 

I heard the song the Sunday after Thanksgiving at Passion City Church. They were leading it for the first time ever in a worship service. In a moment, one song said everything that needed to be said by me to the Lord. So I sang it prayerfully during that sweet time of worship and tears rolled down my face. He heard and saw. 

Somewhere between the Thanksgiving turkey and the Christmas tree, I forgot about the song.

On New Year's Day I saw something on social media about the release of the new Passion album. It was available! That's new. The album is normally recorded live at Passion Conference and released in March or April. I was so excited! Please Lord, let this album be available on Apple Music so I can download it with my monthly subscription. And, it was. YAY! I immediately added it to my music and started scrolling through the track list. You know where I'm going with this, right? 

Song number five. The title caught my attention. It was weird, ambiguous. Now, it makes perfect sense of course! I tapped the title, and as soon as I heard the first note, the Lord reminded me of that moment in a room of a thousand people where He saw me. And there were tears. Then He reminded me again a few days later when I was chatting with a friend. 

So, it's my prayer focus as I head into the new year. Here it is. Simple Pursuit. One that changes everything. What are you pursuing into 2016? 

Simple Pursuit | Ben Catelon, Matt Redman, Nick Herbert, Sam Bailey | Passion: Salvation's Tide is Rising

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