Dream Big

AUGUST 26, 2020    |    3.5 MINUTE READ
BETSY TEJEDA, GLOBAL WORKER ON THE TEXAS/MEXICO BORDER

Yesterday at the dinner table, we had a conversation with our kids that broke my heart. It began when Gerson asked a simple question: “Kids, if you could do anything before we go back to Texas, what would you choose to do?”

Before COVID, my kids were dreamers! They dreamed BIG and weren’t afraid to express their heart’s desires. However, as they answered yesterday, I realized that they had stopped dreaming.

Left: A Tejeda kid draws, Right: The Tejeda kids eat snacks together outside.

Their answers were repetitive, saying they’d like to do things that we’ve been doing since being in shutdown mode. I realize that some of the things they mentioned would be great to do one or more times before leaving, just to have some closure.

However, not one of my kids expressed a desire that seemed impossible. They were all “doable” dreams (if I can even call them dreams) that took zero imagination and absolutely no miracle. They did not express anything that could potentially bring another disappointment into their life.

My kids have been told “no” more times in the last four months than ever before. They have had plans canceled repeatedly. They’ve had disappointment after disappointment. They have stopped dreaming of anything other than the repetitive “safe” activities in and around our home that we have participated in as a family during this season of our lives. They think it’s no longer wise to anticipate, plan, or get excited about possibilities.

It’s like the famous quote from The Princess Bride, “Get used to disappointment,” has become the motto of this season.

The Tejeda kids camp inside their house.

Friends, I wanted to cry.

When Gerson realized what was happening, he added some information. He said, “If money wasn’t an issue, if COVID was not a problem, if you could choose to do ANYTHING before going back to Texas, what would you ask us to do?”

This time, the kids paused, thought, and only after their daddy gave an example of an “impossible” dream did they begin to express dreams that were bigger than themselves, dreams that seemed impossible, dreams that would take an act of God for them to come true.

And it took some prodding on our part to get them to express them!

This whole conversation made me realize how often I do the same thing with God. I think “too small.” I wonder if His heart is grieved when He asks me about my heart’s desires and I get repetitive with my prayers, requesting the same thing, and asking for something that is “safe,” doable, and that I believe will be an easy YES for Him.

Betsy and her kids have fun outside.

What if He wants me to be bold in my asking?

If I ask for something “safe,” am I cheating myself out of seeing God do a miracle?

Am I too afraid to dream big because I’m afraid of disappointment?

Ouch. This comes down to a heart issue.

Am I more about protecting myself and my possible disappointment instead of asking God for something big and BELIEVING He is able to make it happen?

Is it more about self-preservation and not being humiliated than being willing to participate in making His character known through seeing a miracle and testifying to it? Even if I have to WAIT for the miracle?

Gerson and one of his kids play a board game.

I truly believe God wants us to dream big.

I believe He wants to do the impossible in our lives. (In ALL areas! We are the ones who put limits on Him!)

I believe He wants us to be able to testify to His greatness, to Him opening a path in the wilderness, of Him doing the impossible in our lives.

But I think, too often, I am like my kids. Instead of having the faith of a mustard seed, mine is more like a speck of dust (or even smaller?)!

What my kids didn’t know when we were asking them these questions is that God had indeed opened up a way for our family to do something before heading back to Texas that we thought was impossible. The kids’ big dream DID come true! They wanted to attend Gull Lake Ministries in Michigan again this summer, and we were able to go there for vacation at the end of July.

Betsy and Gerson with their kids at Gull Lake Ministries.

I realize that dreaming big is scary. (Our plans could still fall through.)

I realize that dreaming takes faith. (Is God who He says He is, or is He not?)

I realized that sometimes God has a different answer than we desire. (Have you ever heard “Wait” or “No”?)

But I also realize that many times in my life, God has answered with a resounding “YES!” to my biggest dreams. And the way He answered was even better than I imagined. Those answered dreams gave me a front row seat to witness a miracle that ONLY God could do. And then it gave me a way to testify to the greatness of my God.

“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit gently and deeply within us.” Ephesians 3:20 (MSG)

WHAT NOW?

PRAY: Is there an area in your life where you have stopped dreaming? Have you become comfortable, settling for life as it is out of fear of taking the next step? Have your prayers become “safe”?

Today, remember that we serve a big God. Nothing is impossible for Him. Don’t stop dreaming about what HE can do! Commit your plans, your dreams, your desires to the One who placed them within you, and then wait in expectation for Him to do something that is beyond all you could ask or imagine! Then, when He answers, be prepared to testify about what our God has done.

Author Bio: Betsy and Gerson Tejeda have been serving on the Texas/Mexico Border since 2010. They are involved in sports ministries and discipleship, among other outreach programs.