by Jeanne Takenaka, @JeanneTakenaka
Have you ever had a dream that felt so big, so out of reach, you considered it impossible to achieve?
From the time I was fourteen, I’ve wanted to be published. I set the dream aside for decades because of . . . well, life.
And fear.
The idea of writing a full-length novel—with characters, plot, and setting—overwhelmed me. The fear of failure cast a large shadow across my thoughts.
So, I focused on living real life and left this dream on a shelf in the back of my heart. Until a few years ago, when God prodded it front-and-center with a character’s name and the bare bones of a plot.
It’s funny how, when God plants something in our hearts, we can’t stop thinking about it.
I thought I’d be published within two years of starting to write (you have my permission to laugh). Here’s the thing: God doesn’t give dreams solely to make them reality.
When our Father entrusts dreams to us He refines our characters, teaches us how to depend on Him, removes us from our comfort zones, and helps us claim our true identities as His kids.
In nine years, I’ve grown as a person and in relationships. I’ve learned to say no to things so I could say yes to writing and laying a foundation to be published.
God’s given me opportunities to confront my companion—rejection. Through contests, I’ve worked through harsh comments. I picked myself up after an agent passed on my manuscript. God has taught me how to give each disappointment to Him.
When editors said, “No thanks,” I navigated the rejection-instilled heart-hurts. I set that story aside and began another. These opportunities revealed that God is in it all.
God walks beside us when rejection hits our tender places. He filters His truths into the lies rejection whispers, and He offers us hope. When He gives us a dream, He sees us through until the end.
God reminds me His timing is perfect and that my first ministry is to my family . . . which means my writing goals have not happened on my timeline, but on His.
Instead of the flat, straight path I expected to travel, God’s led me on rocky, winding trails, over rickety bridges, and through barren deserts. The thing is: He’s led me.
I suspect we all have dreams hidden in our hearts. We have a choice. Commit them to God . . . or horde them where no one can see them, and nothing can happen to them, not even their fruition.
When we entrust our dreams to our trustworthy Father, He walks with us in their fulfilling. He challenges us, stretches us, and removes us far from our comfort zones.
It’s in those uncomfortable places where we learn to depend on and to grow with Him.
Though this dream still feels big, and kind of out of reach, I’m moving forward with my Father. He guides my every step. And in this I am reassured.
Award-winning aspiring novelist, Jeanne Takenaka, writes contemporary inspirational fiction that tackles real-life issues with a heart to draw women closer to God and those around them. She lives near the mountains in Colorado with her amazing husband and two exuberant boy-men. She loves being God’s girl—always learning about His grace, hanging out with friends and enjoying a great cup of coffee. When she’s not writing you can find her with a camera in her hand, looking for #alittlebitofpretty in her days. You can connect with her on her blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.