Last week I attended a talk where the speaker said: “Our fantasies reveal that we haven’t entrusted our lives to the Lord.”
At first, the statement struck me as odd. I mean, Isn’t imagining a future where you get the perfect promotion, kids or house something healthy? Something that will keep us hopeful for the future?
I can’t read the speaker’s mind, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn’t the goals so much that was the problem as much as the stories that our dreams may create over time.
Thinking of an example from my own life: I hoped to marry somebody awesome. A very good and normal desire indeed. Having said that, I think where the problem came into play was that over time, I created a fantasy of how awesome my life would become once I met the right person. If I had a bad day, I could talk to her and feel better. When things didn’t go right with my family, I imagined my future spouse being the perfect mediator …
In other words, the relationship became a panacea for the disappointment of the moment.
The longer God wasn’t delivering, the more my distrust in His goodness grew.
My fantasies overshadowed the fact that my creator, not me, is in the best position to know what I need to bring out the very unique gifts that He wired into me. As such, whatever undermines that trust is counterproductive … however, sweetly the particular illusion might play out in my imagination.
What does it look like practically? For me, it’s hoping. For sure. Yet when the hope starts bringing resentment, it’s a clear sign that I want to interrupt these self-sabotaging thoughts with a prayer … “The Our Father” to be more specific. Very slowly, focusing on the following lines:
“Thy Kingdom come,”
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
“Give us this day our daily bread;”
How helpful are your fantasies? How can you leverage them to grow your trust in God?
Searching for something better? Don’t know what you want? What’s missing?
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Why love proficiency? Isn’t true love what you’re really after? Love in your relationships, loving what you do, inspiring love in others … Take the quiz to find out how you can bring more thriving love into your life.
