Cultivating ‘Dream’ Seeds

I’m talking about the desires-of-your-heart-dreams, not the ones you have at night (although that would be a cool question as well.)

As you consider your answer, let’s do a quick Bible study.

One of my favorite verses on dreams is Proverbs 13:12 (NLT):

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.”

I’ve had personal experience with both sections of this verse, the ‘heart sick’ part and the ‘dreams fulfilled are a tree of life’ part. Something I’ve learned is that we all have disappointments (some more devastating than others) and we all have dreams. And I firmly believe that dreams are meant to be fulfilled.

Why? Well, when you look at the end of the verse “a dream fulfilled is a tree of life” (emphasis mine) and you reverse engineer it, it goes something like this:

If a dream fulfilled is a tree of life (and there’s certainly no shortage of references to Trees of Life in the Bible, am I right?) then a dream starts out as a seed. And the cool thing about seeds is that they’ll naturally grow, given the right conditions.

You know what that tells me? I don’t have to ‘force’ my dreams to happen as much as I need to simply provide an environment where those desires are planted in good soil and given the proper light, moisture, nutrients, etc. That being said, here are some steps I’ve discovered when it comes to creating an environment where ‘dream seeds’ will naturally germinate.

Nourishing dream seeds:

1. Acknowledge them! First and foremost, you must ‘own’ what you really want. Be specific. Is it a husband? A new home? A serving opportunity? A platform to speak? A healthy body? More money? A thriving community of like-hearted people? Hint: Unsure of what you truly want? Look for the vulnerable desires. The ones that feel scary to admit, even to yourself. Whether it’s because you’ve been disappointed and it’s hard to get your hopes up again, or because it comes from such a tender place in your heart—these are the desires to pay attention to. Not so much the ones you could shout from the rooftops and not care what anyone thinks. True dreams come from the heart, and they’re usually a sensitive topic.

2. Visualize the end result. This is like Miracle Gro for dreams. What would it look like if this dream were to come true? How would you feel? Would you look, walk, or talk differently? Most of us massively underutilize our imaginations. Or, worse yet, we use this God-given gift to worry, fret, or replay the negatives in our lives. Remember this—what you focus on, grows! Fertilize the soil in your heart by seeing the end from the beginning and focusing on a beautiful outcome. (Philippians 4:8)
3. Share your dreams with someone you trust. Ideally, someone who believes in you. This helps in many ways (I’ll highlight three of them.)
   • First, by telling someone, you’re inviting them into the journey with you. I’ve found when I’ve done this that there are times I need encouragement and those I’ve told can help me ‘believe’ when I can’t believe for myself.
   • Second, it’s a form of accountability. Depending on what you choose, you could even ask them to hold you accountable to take action towards your desired outcome.
   • Finally, when you reach your dream, or suffer setbacks, you’re not left to navigate the elation (or heartache) alone. Let people love you in the highs and lows!
4. Take a step. The next step. Don’t get stuck in overwhelm trying to figure it all out at once. Simply ask yourself, “What’s the next step?” Your heart knows already. Once you know, do it. Even if it’s scary.

Granted, some dreams take longer than others, just like an oak tree takes longer than a dandelion. Most will also require some level of commitment (just like a garden requires maintenance if it’s to grow up healthy and strong.)

Your dreams are no different.

Action and faith combine to make dreams come true.

I’m writing this to remind you that you have dreams. Whether they’re front and center in your life, or in the background (or even feel dead), you do have them.

You have a Divine blueprint, a heavenly design, and your dreams are a part of this. The things you’re longing to do, be, and have, are indicators pointing you towards your bigger life’s purpose.