When a Dream Becomes Like a Fire in Your Heart
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Photo by Tatiana Syrikova via pexels
Is there something you’ve dreamed about doing for a long time, but for whatever reason, haven’t done yet? Has that dream grown into a longing that feels like a burning in your heart?
When I was in high school, I wanted to take drawing lessons, but it didn’t end up happening. As I got older, I got busy with life, and for many years I didn’t feel that I had time to pursue my art dreams.
But though buried, my dream wasn’t dead. The seed of that God-given desire was tucked deep in my heart, and when the conditions were right, it began to grow. And grow. Until I couldn’t ignore it any longer. Instead of thinking about it every once in a while, I thought about it often.
I started to feel like Jeremiah, whose calling to prophesy was like a “fire locked up” inside of him and like “a burning” in his heart (Jeremiah 20:9, NET). I felt compelled to express the artistic part of myself, and I began to sense that my desire was something God wanted me to pursue.
So, I bought my first paint set and started watching art tutorials on YouTube. And after almost two years of self-study, I recently (finally!) fulfilled my dream of taking art lessons (I just completed my third session with a private painting tutor last week!).
MORE THAN WE CAN ASK OR IMAGINE
The journey of following the dreams and desires God has woven into me both as a writer and an artist has been one of those “more than we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20) experiences. It’s been an adventure full of joy, fulfillment, and spiritual growth, and I’m so thankful for how God has expressed His goodness to me through these creative callings.
And I’m confident that He wants to do the same for you! You might not be called to write or paint, but you do have unique callings of your own—ones that God designed to be sources of joy and spiritual growth. So if you feel a burning in your heart, I encourage you to pay attention to it—you never know what good thing God might lead you into!
READ THE FULL STORY
If you want to learn more about my journey and how God led me through my desire to paint and draw (as well as the funny reason why I dropped out of the drawing class I signed up for in high school on the first day of class) I hope you’ll check out my article that was recently published on my friend Marnie Hammar’s Hear Him Louder blog series. You can read it here.
As always, you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I’d love to hear from you! You can contact me here or through the comment section below.
In purpose and faith,
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