He says, She says

Several months ago, I had one of those “insensitive man” goofball husband moments when Carrie and I were talking about some of our goals and dreams about being inspirational public speakers. God has planted this dream in our hearts, He has given us the life experiences to lead our way, and we know it is part of our purpose on this planet. For us, inspiring others with our stories energizes us. During this conversation, Carrie was really pondering some big stuff, and I was thinking of all the negatives. I tend to do this due to my personality temperament (I’m partly “melancholy”; for a good explanation, please read a book called “Personality Plus”, which can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Personality-Plus-PERSONALITYREVISEDEXPAN/dp/B0029PTGBS/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316392462&sr=1-5).

Those of us with this “realistic” personality tend to be black clouds when people are dreaming. Please understand, I am a dreamer myself, but I attach graphs and charts to those dreams to test the reality of my dreams. Although it is good practice to “watch the numbers” in business, dreams and goals require more than statistics; they require an element of faith. Les Brown is one of my favorite motivational speakers to listen to. He talks about believing in yourself. He says that with faith and a passionate dream, anything is possible. He says, “Faith is the oil that takes the friction out of living.” God blesses us when we chase the dreams He puts in our hearts. Sometimes I have to remind myself that God’s calling is way more powerful than my doubts and insecurities.

I was focusing on all the reasons why our dreams may not come true when I decided to interrupt Carrie’s dreaming with my “realistic” doubts. For a few years before we had our twins, we did public speaking through a business we were a part of. After we left that business and had the twins, our public speaking came to a halt. I thought it would be good to point out to Carrie that since we were no longer part of that business, we would need a “platform” before we could move forward with our dream. Despite God calling us to share our story, I was limiting Him because I just couldn’t see how we could pursue public speaking in a new format. As I watched the sparkle and life drain out of Carrie’s eyes, I quickly realized that I am a moron. I could not take back what I said. And regardless of how good my intentions were, my words were like dumping a pail of water on hot flames. I tend to forget that God has given us talents and gifts and as long as we are moving forward down his path, He will bring in the results. I needed to remember Mark 10:27 (NLT), which says:

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

We have had many moments since then (an inside joke with us now) when I mention how much I enjoy public speaking. Carrie smiles, winks, and says, “well you do know that we need a platform to do that.” Haha. Time has passed since that day, and our dreams have been rekindled as of late with the start of this blog and a few opportunities to share our stories publicly. This past weekend I was vividly reminded that God has given us a story to tell. Carrie was asked to speak at a local Women’s Conference, and she told a part of our story, which she entitled “Trusting God with our kids SOUNDS so easy”. She spoke to about forty women of all different ages, and I believe their hearts were touched and their lives were enriched. After she got home from the conference, I sat and listened to her tell me how things went. I was reminded once again that we are exactly where we should be on this journey. Although Carrie and I can grow impatient from time to time, God’s timing is perfect and He will open the right doors at the right times as long as we remain diligent. Listening to Carrie and seeing the response to our daily writing here, I am reminded of a quote from a great book by Jeff O’Leary:

“Inside of you God plants His dream for your life. It is up to you to seek it, find it, and fulfill it. Don’t cheat yourself out of His best for your life by allowing your daily routines to overcome His great purpose for you. It will take courage to pursue His calling. It will stretch you beyond reason. But focus on the finish line.” (from his book, “Footprints in Time”).

Carrie and I are actively pursuing our purpose, finding it, and fulfilling it. We are not sure how it will all play out or how far it will reach, but we do know that with God all things are possible. When we follow His plan for our life instead of our own, He takes us to more amazing places than we could ever imagine. The hard part of life is allowing Him to lead. There are times when something or someone will knock us down. Sometimes even those closest to us will try to extinguish our dreams with their “healthy dose of reality”. As Les Brown says, “If life knocks you down, land on your back because if you can look up, you can get up.” Carrie and I are learning more about this each day. I can tell you that although we are content with where we are, we are very excited about where we are going. We know we are doing the work God has given us to do, and nothing could be more satisfying or thrilling.

How about you? Is there something you know in your heart you should be pursuing but you are letting the details or someone’s doubts hold you back? Are your own doubts holding you back? Do you think you need a “platform” before you can get started? Look up. You have been created to do something great for God. He will give you all that you need to accomplish it. He will provide the “platform”. Just get moving, trust Him for the details, and focus on the journey toward that finish line.

All the best,
Ryan

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