It was 2009, I was dropping our oldest son off for first grade at the school located on our church campus. Also on the campus is a beautiful, stone, chapel. The curved stone walls isolate a beautiful courtyard green with grass. Pillars and arches frame this peaceful structure.

I stood outside the double doors with our three-year-old daughter holding one of my hands, and a spiral notebook in the other. Trembling with nervousness, I opened the doors to the large, open, empty space. Pews in perfect formation, an aisle down the middle, and a platform with a podium.

I let our daughter run around while I sheepishly approached that wood podium. I closed my eyes and pretended those pews were full of people as I layed my notebook open on the podium, just the two of us in the room. After a deep breath, with shaky hands, I began to preach the message that was in my notebook.

An entrepreneur with two kids, running a full-time jewelry business preached to empty rooms during her downtime. This sounds crazy to me now, but I couldn’t shake the feeling at the time that I was supposed to do this.

A couple of times a week I would stand on that platform.

While my daughter was rolling under the pews and making a mess of the offering envelopes, I was preaching my heart out to an empty room.

The dream to speak in front of people began when I was a little kid. Years before I ever knew about or trusted Christ.

When I was a kid I got a hold of a Harlequin Romance novel. Yea, I know, a little kid doesn’t have any business reading a romance novel but I did. I can’t tell you anything about the romance part. What I distinctly remember was the main character.

She was a strong, successful woman. A psychologist, one who shared her life and professional experience through speaking at seminars, and writing books.

She stood in front of her audience under the heat of the bright lights, in a room full of unique individuals who were all at different places in their lives. She would teach them corporately and lead them toward a new personal challenge.

A part of me knew this is what I was meant to do. I would lie in bed at night and imagine standing on top of a lunch table at school speaking to my class.

If you knew me as a kid you would think that was impossible! I was a very shy kid, not exactly the type that would join the drama team. Still, to this day I am a total introvert and a very private person. It is terrifying for me to think of speaking, writing and being vulnerable with strangers.

Have you ever had a dream or a passion for something that seemed impossible or absolutely terrifying to pursue?

Maybe you have an idea that would contribute something beautiful to the world. Or, it’s that business that you have always wanted to start. The thought of doing it may be compelling and exciting but then something happens in your mind. You begin to count the cost.

What if…

• I fail?
• I am rejected?
• I am not qualified?
• It costs me something that I am not willing to give up?

Let’s ask a different question…

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

Think about that for a moment.

A while back, I asked my friends that same question on Facebook. Their responses took my breath away. Their dreams were huge, awesome and bigger than themselves. It was encouraging to me to know that I wasn’t alone.

Those dreams that linger within our hearts usually call for us to step out of our comfort zone.

I think about when Jesus called Peter to be His disciple. Peter and his brother were fishermen, Jesus shows up on the scene and says, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Without hesitation, they left everything and followed him.

It couldn’t have been easy leaving the comfort of everything they knew, but they displayed unwavering faith at that moment and followed Jesus. They made it look easy.

Later, Jesus refers to Peter as the “rock” that He will build his church on. Can you imagine how exciting & scary that moment had to be for Peter? Jesus was telling him that he would be the founder of what we know today as “The Church.” He was called by Jesus to do something that only he could do.

Soon after, Jesus gets arrested and is about to be crucified. Peter was asked three times if he knew Jesus and all three times Peter denied knowing Him. What if they killed Peter like they were about to kill Jesus? Why did Peter deny Jesus? 

Peter began to count the cost.

Only days later Jesus would die on the cross. The death of Jesus could have looked like the death of Peter’s dream. What looked like the end was only the beginning of the call that Jesus spoke over Peter’s life.

It is time to reclaim those dreams that God has put in your heart, and do something about them.

One of the definitions of the word “RECLAIM” is to retrieve or recover something previously lost… to demand or obtain the return of, to regain possession of. My hope for you today is that God will help you retrieve, recover and regain possession of the dreams that He has placed in your heart.

Remember that shy, introverted little girl who would dream of speaking and writing? Then that adult, who would preach her heart out to an empty chapel?

In 2012, I stood on that same platform in that stone chapel. Only this time, the room was full of people. The room was filled as parents were about to dedicate their children to the Lord in front of their friends and families.

The pews were filled, the lights were bright, and I was on the platform with my notes spread on that same wood podium. I remember the first time I looked out at the crowd and for a moment, it seemed like time stood still.

It quickly took my breath away as I looked out to the crowd of people and remembered the days when the chapel was empty. I could almost hear the giggles of my little girl as she was rolling under the pews, only three years before.

In 2009, I had no idea I was going to be on staff at our church, or that God was going to call me years later to be a teaching pastor. I may not have known or understood what God was preparing me for, but He did.

God led the entire process. I just kept taking the next step that was in front of me. I had no idea where it would lead, but I trusted that God had a plan.

What would your life be like if you paid attention to the dreams that linger within you?

What if you…

• started that business?
• took the next right step that is in front of you toward the dream that is in your heart?
• believed that it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be started.
• feel called to preach to crowds, but today, you take the next available step and start a Bible study in your home?

What if you were called to do something in this world that only you can do?

It is never too late to RECLAIM the dreams that are a part of your story. What is the first step toward those dreams?

Sometimes, the cost of NEVER following your dreams is actually MORE than the cost of pursuing them!

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