Boulevard of Broken Dreams…

Is this where you are? Have you been here?

Has the past taught you to dream big . . . or dream safe?

I feel like for many of us, and even some of the best and most passionate writers I have ever had the pleasure to know, we cut ourselves off at the knees. We let doubt and fear and those pesky little odds and insecurities creep in and derail our dream. Have you? Have you been wondering, after those rejections come back to chip away at you . . . am I fooling myself? Wasting my time? Will my words ever see print?

For most of my life I didn't dream of becoming a best-selling novelist. I didn't even dream of becoming a writer. I was a singer. And that dream, for so long, was completely tangled up with my identity. In some ways, it will always be a part of who I am. But, my life without pursuing music . . .

 

Is it devastating? Void? Am I itching with every stalled note in my chest to stand before a crowd and pour out my song? Am I heartbroken?

No. I love music. Love to sing and worship and belt and harmonize. I LOVE it. But that dream of my youth dwindled and found its place in the real world.

Now I have a new dream... Isn't it great how, at any point in time, God can birth something new in you? He can expose a passion you didn't even know existed. I write. Not only because I love it. Because I do. I also love music. And running. And baking. But the simple truth is, I simply can’t not write! So this is my dream. And for however long it’s mine to hold, I’m gonna make it BIG!

Let’s face it… dreams can be brutal. I mean, can you imagine how foolish some of the greatest minds in the world must have felt… failing time and again? Having people ridicule them for their ludicrous theories and ideas. But imagine what we would be missing if they listened to the wrong critic... if they let go too soon.

On the other end…

A hard truth of life is that sometimes dreams don’t come true.

But maybe we just haven’t found the dream that God has for us. And whether it’s writing, or something else, you've just got to trust that the one who gave you those dreams will help you see when to hold them tight… fight with everything you have, get beaten down a hundred times before you see that beautiful thing take off into greatness.

Or... trust Him to know when to let go of those lovely detours, or maybe just see them for what they are, and find what you were meant to do.

Don’t hide your dreams in a safe place. Don't let the enemy steal something that is meant to be yours. Be bold. TRUST that the one who knows the desires of your heart has a great plan for the right dream. The right spouse. The right job. The right house. The right future. HIS way.

I’d love to hear from you…Have you ever wanted something that, in hindsight, you’re grateful you didn't get? Do you have any dreams that have carried on from your childhood? Have they changed? And how do you stay encouraged when your dream feels like a sinking ship?

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Amy Leigh Simpson writes Romantic Suspense that is heavy on the romance, unapologetically honest, laced with sass and humor, and full of the unfathomable Grace of God. She is the completely sleep deprived mama to two little mischief makers and would challenge anyone to a cutest family contest. Represented by Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary Inc.