This is what Dreams are Made Of

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT)

As a little girl, I had huge dreams: I dreamt of becoming a famous singer who would make a difference in this dark world. I was determined to leave a mark in this life to be remembered for generations to come.

I was always a big dreamer… And one day my dreams were about to come true as I walked down the hallway to my first Performing Arts class in college. I loved every moment of each class, but as the week progressed, I felt my heart become heavier and heavier. The Lord was speaking deep into my heart and I knew if I continued with this course, my heart would soon be far from His.

I went home for the weekend deeply distressed and confused. Had not all my dreams just come true? I had a meeting with my pastor and his wife that Sunday after the morning service and after I poured my heart out to them, the pastor looked at me and just said, “I don’t need to tell you what to do… you already know.” I went home and spent the afternoon crying. That evening, I left my room and announced to my family that I would be leaving the college – and my dreams.

I spent the next year serving my church and struggling with God. “Lord, what do you want from me?” I asked Him. One Sunday morning, as I faithfully sang on the worship team, we had a guest speaker from a ministry called INcontext. After the service, I approached him and his wife and he mentioned that they would be visiting youth groups and said that I was welcome to join them. I did. A year later, I found myself at a missions and discipleship school that I was introduced to on this very special trip.

It is in the darkest night that the stars shine the brightest. God works all things for good, even the things we don’t plan for. He knows best!