Last night I had the strangest dream.  Do you ever have nights like that?  Nights where you wake up the next morning with a dream lingering in your mind?  Oh, the bizarre and creative world of dreams!  I often marvel at how our brains can record moments of a day, sometimes just a sliver, and freeze-frame images it recorded, mix it with thoughts or concerns and replay it as a vivid and imaginative movie that projects itself into our sleep.  It’s really amazing, and just another part of our Master Designer’s creation.  Scripture tells us that sometimes God speaks to us through dreams and visions, and I believe that God was speaking to me through last night’s dream. 

Here’s the dream:  I was at a party where many people were floating upwards and flying around as if they were in space.  When they came down, some of them floated through the floor to the room underneath.  Intrigued, I asked someone how people were able to float and fly and he replied that it was simply an app.  “An app?” I queried.  Then a friend showed me how it worked.  The app turned a smartphone into a mask whereby one inhaled a gaseous substance.  “Now,” my friend warned, “there are risks with this gas.  There’s a very slight chance of getting a brain tumor from it.”  I gasped!  Anyone who knows me knows that I’m neurotic about my health, so the mere mention of a tumor sent me into orbit (and without needing any gas!).  I started to say “forget it” when I remembered the many dreams of flying I had as a child.  Those dreams were vivid and real to me and I always wanted to be able to flap my little arms and fly.  Many dreams took me high above tree lines and cityscapes where I would perch and look upon the world below me.  It was the most freeing and invigorating feeling which often drifted into my waking consciousness.  So, THIS WAS MY CHANCE TO FINALLY FLY!  

The choice was in front of me: Take a risk to be able to fly or say “no” and play it safe?  What do you think I did?  I FLEW!  I floated up and flew all over the place.  I left the house and flew over the trees, finally landing on a building ledge.  I never felt so free in all my life.  Yes, I took a risk but the payoff was so much greater in that moment. 

When I woke up, my first thought was, what is God showing me?  Here’s some context.  That same day I had a meeting with two other ladies who also want to fly the corporate coop and branch out on their own.  We formed an alliance called The Triad, with the intent to encourage one another and share resources and ideas.  That afternoon, we talked about fear and how it has held us back for many years.  I left that meeting with the realization that any life change is risky, but I asked myself, do I want to die never doing what God created me to do?  I believe that through that dream, God was encouraging me to fly!

Where’s the nugget for you?  What have you always wanted to do but haven’t because of fear?  Have you let the risks of doing something different outweigh the potential reward?  There will always be risk; anything worth going for will come with a dose of it.  Now, I’m not advocating doing something crazy like jumping off a ledge without a parachute, but I am inviting you to FLY and flourish in whatever that looks like for you.  Here are some thoughts to get you off the ground.

1. What’s the worst that can happen? What are the chances of that really happening?

2. How can I mitigate the risks?

3. What else is stopping me from “flying?”

4. What’s one thing I can do today to help me “fly?”

Lastly, whatever you dream of doing, visualize yourself doing it and imagine how you’ll feel.  Prayerfully hold that vision (making sure it’s of God, of course) and let it move you forward a little more each day.  FLY!