Inspired By A Bucket List

I was inspired.

Last night, one of our youth group leaders did a lesson on dreaming big and what that looks like being a Christian. As I sat there hearing her talk about what America says the American dream is, I kept thinking how wrong we as a culture have it.

I have moments when I let my worldly mind get the best of me – the part of me that still clings to my old self, thinking that “if only we had…” or “if only our bank account said…” and really, all of those things are fleeting – they have no eternal value. So why do I sit and think about them all of the time? Yes, there is a point where we are to be good stewards of what God has given us. But being a steward isn’t about obtaining all these possessions and increasing our bank accounts so that they hit a certain number. For each person, God calls them to different experiences, different life situations, and different jobs, which in turn, means that no one’s life is going to be the same. So why do we even try?

Instead, we are to dream big in GOD’S world. Our leader encouraged us to make a bucket list. I do have one on the side of this blog (that really is a working list, so I should add/change a few things…). It was fun to sit and think about such things. To dream big. Yes, there are some “earthly” things I would like to do, such as attend some specific sporting events. Then there are other things that maybe have a little bit more of an impact.

One thing that I never put on my bucket list (for fear it wasn’t tangible), but it was to start an organizing blog. I have always dreamed of running/starting my own business. I always thought a craft store would be fun, but I was getting out of scrapbooking, so I wasn’t sure that was what I wanted to do. Then as I started to love purging and decluttering, I thought why not start my own blog about that? Thanks to this blog, I started to do a few posts with recipes, getting rid of the unneeded and unwanted, and maybe a few DIY ideas thrown in there. I realized that I wanted it to become more than just something I did on my personal blog. I wanted to create my own name. When I started Organizing Life With Less, my ultimate dream was to start it as it’s own business name. But my fear of it flopping, made me so timid. I was afraid of failure. I was afraid it wasn’t going to go anywhere. I wanted to impact. I wanted to inspire others to take a step back and look at their life, also desiring to live with less.

I started to dream bigger and bigger. Now Organizing Life With Less is an official “business” name, and is now Organizing Life With Less, LLC. It does earn a little bit of money. But more importantly, I have been able to encourage others to decluttering their lives and live with less. It has been such a rewarding journey!

Then I look at our dreams of building a family. We became parents, through a gestational carrier. A dream come true. Do we have dreams and hopes of God building our family someday? Yes. But we know that if we are within His will, He will carry out His perfect plan in our lives.

I feel so blessed to have dreams come true. How big are you dreaming? How “big” do you see God? Do you see Him doing things in your life you never expected? I have learned to never set limits on God or think about what He can’t do. Because HE CAN.

I was inspired. I am inspired. Live within God’s plan for you, taking one day at a time. Who knows what dreams God will answer – in fact, I bet He will take you places you never dreamed of!