Is your dream worth fighting for?

This picture is a familiar sight in the Student Ministry at Charter Oak Church. It's called a thumb prayer. The thumb prayer that you see in the picture here is the closing prayer at my A.B.S. (Area Bible Study) group this past Tuesday night.

As I stared at the picture this morning I felt inspired to give you some of the history behind it. You see...We started this A.B.S. group almost 3 years ago. On our first meeting there were 4 students who showed up, and for every following meeting that month there were only 3... And, honestly, I was discouraged. I know that small groups are supposed to be small, but I also had a vision and a dream to use this particular small group to grow and give birth to many more groups. And after a full year of working with this A.B.S. group...it hadn't happened. It was one of those "moments of truth" for me as a leader. It was one of those moments when I had to sit back over the course of that first Summer and ask myself,

"Is this dream worth fighting for?"

Well....I certainly felt that it was worth fighting for. And after a little more time, a lot of prayer, and a ton of hard work you see the picture above. And what you see in the picture above is not a small group anymore...it's actually a group of students that is going to be divided into 3 small groups over the course of the next month. That's right, I said 3 small groups! It's very literally a dream come true.

Yet I'm not trying to paint a picture that the work is done. I now have a dream to see all 3 of those groups multiply themselves and give birth to new groups. My one group turned into three...in just a couple more years could that 3 turn into 9? I don't know, but I'm committed to finding out. In the meantime, I just want to encourage you a bit. Is there a place in your life for which God has given you a vision or a dream that has not yet manifest itself before you? If so, then I have some thoughts for you.

1) I believe that for every God-given-vision there is God-given-provision.
God sent three students regularly, and eventually that turned into 7 students regularly. He gave us a convenient place to meet that was conducive to that which He had shown me. And, though the growth was slower than I was hoping for, I knew all of the pieces were being put into place. Can you see God putting the pieces in place for your dream? Asking yourself this question will allow you a "lens" through which you can look to see if the foundation upon which you intend to build is solid. You see this in the Bible with the Israelites as they walked through the desert to the Promised Land. It was a LOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG process that God used to build and refine the leadership of the Hebrew nation while teaching them to rely upon Him and Him alone for their survival. ***If you see gaping holes in the foundation, then turn your prayer life onto them...for every God-given-vision there is God-given-provision. Do your part prayerfully, administratively, etc., and then give God the room to do His part.***

2) God is rarely early, but He is never late.
While you give God room to do His part, it's important to give God time to do His part, as well. One of my coworkers has a banner on her wall which reads, "God's timing is perfect." That's easy to accept on some days and hard to accept on others. There's nothing like playing "the waiting game" with God. It took 3 entire seasons of ministry to divide my small group. I had originally hoped that it would've taken more like three months. But it's being divided now. And every group is big enough to be self-sustaining. And now that it's finally happening it no longer matters how long it took. It happened in God's perfect timing, and that's good enough for me. Are you feeling impatient regarding your vision, as I was? Oh that both you and I would faithfully turn our "waiting and wondering" into "waiting to see His wonder". Be patient. Be persevering. Be about His business, and let Him come when the time is right.

3) Practice listening to constructive criticism, while letting all deconstructive criticism fall on deaf ears.
Constructive criticism can sometimes be hard to swallow, but deconstructive criticism always causes pain. My staff and friends know that I am deeply interested in their input regarding all aspects of our ministry. Yet they also know that I'm not interested in listening to anyone when they go into "attack mode". Making that clear to the people around you can give you two valuable things:

1) thoughtful observations and suggestions to help you advance the cause
2) an understanding that we're not here to tear one another down

Keep in mind that typing that is much easier than living it out, but it's so important to persevering in your dream. It seems like every couple of months or so the enemy will do his work to cause discord and discouragement on ministry teams. I've come to accept that for what it is, recognize it when it comes, and rise above it by refusing to return venom for deconstructive criticism...something Jesus called "turning the other cheek". But at the same time, I'm utterly committed to communicating value in my staff and friends by being vulnerable and humble enough to take their constructive advice when they make it known to me. Bottom line, God has called us to live and serve in community with one another. We will do a lot to see our dreams/visions come to fruition when we practice healthy communication with one another.

Are you still fighting for a dream? I am. I'm fighting to see these three new groups multiply themselves, and I'm fighting for many other advancements in the Student Ministry. Be encouraged! For every desert, there is a promised land. For every failure, there is redemption. For every opposition, there is a new measure of God's power. Keep going for it. The best is yet to be!

Grace and Peace