Permission to Dream

Our oldest boy shared his dream with me this week. "I want to play my guitar on a stage in front of a bunch of people someday, mom," he said as he strummed away.

My heart felt so proud.

Watching our boys' first steps and hearing their first words have been such precious milestones. Now hearing a dream take shape and be shared, that's something new. He's 5.5 years old now and sounding more like a young man now than the teeny tiny baby boy he once was.

Hearing the dreams that God has placed on his heart makes my heart soar.


My dreams, on the other hand, make me feel selfish. Should a mom, especially of littles, have dreams of her own? In so many ways, I am "living the dream" of loving my family and teaching/learning along side them. This life of learning is a dream of mine, and there's a few other dreams brewing as well.

I read two key posts that gave me new insight into dreaming as a mom.

One:

Author Dani Pettrey's guest post (find it here) plucked the thoughts straight out of my mind and she provided encouragement I have been dying to hear, little did I know it. Simply the permission to dream.
"Having dreams of your own don’t make you less of a mom, they make you a more interesting one.

Having dreams doesn’t ruin your homeschooling environment; you get to learn alongside your kids.

Having dreams doesn’t make you selfish; they make you the creative, unique, multi-dimensional person God created you to be.

Why do I mention these things? Because as a homeschooling mom pursuing my dreams, I, unfortunately, heard them all. Seriously. People are not always encouraging of dreams, especially if they are too scared to pursue their own." Dani Pettrey, wife, former homeschooling mom and author

Be creative alongside my children, pursue these dreams, do the research, put in the work. I can do that. I can continue jotting in my "Believe" Training Journal and developing my writing without feeling like a bad mom for doing so.

Permission to dream. It feels nice.



Two:

I finally read "Let's Break the Internet" (a free guide for anyone creating anything online.) and 6 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer by one of my favorite author-bloggers, Erin Loechner at Design for Mankind. Her advice is simple and powerful.


That's what I've been working on. "Stirring the pot" on some of the big dreams I have.

One is the blog re-design. Maybe you noticed? Maybe you didn't. No worries, if you didn't ;) I started blogging 5.5 years ago and it was time to create something that fit me better right now. The new name --> "She Runs By Faith". {More on the story behind the name to come!}

Teaching my children, enjoying classic books with them and seeing the beauty in education alongside them is a dream I'm living right now. One I didn't realize I had until God called us to this place! This one is by far my most exhausting dream, but also the most rewarding.

And then there's that running goal I'm chasing. Sub-3:00 marathon is where I would like to be someday but a 3:15 is the first step. My injury in August caused my goal race plans to fall apart, but one can't give up that easily on a dream. There's alway another race.

That's where I'm at now.

Taking steps of faith, loving and living where I'm at, and giving myself permission to dream. And, most importantly, this:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

Q: What crazy dream are you taking steps toward today?


Let's Connect!





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Comments

  1. Personally, I think it's important for moms to have goals and dreams. You have to take care of yourself too!

    I noticed the blog redesign last week and I think it looks nice. Anxious to hear more!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Like the new blog design. Behind every big goal are baby steps!

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  3. I think dreams are important -- to teach your children they should strive for something. Also helps you be amore well-rounded person too

    ReplyDelete
  4. The new blog design looks good! It's good that you're "stirring the pot" on some big dreams - we should all have things we're striving for.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Michelle! I agree - we should all be working towards something!

      Delete

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