Tuesday, February 11, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: Romans 6

As long as I can remember, adults have asked me what I want to be when I grow up. When I was little, any answer was acceptable, from a princess to an “ice-cream flavor designer.” I was free to dream. 

As I’ve grown, the standards have become higher. Now that I’m officially an adult, with college looming on the horizon, the pressure has only increased.

Right now, my dream is to be a published author. However, I know that even our best laid plans can fall apart. I trust that God is writing an incredible story, wherever it may lead me. 

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

God has a purpose for all of us. He has given us unique gifts and put us in our communities and relationships in order to live out that purpose and love others the way that he does. 

Sometimes our dreams may seem impossible or excessive. We push them away to follow the path the world expects us to take. Other times, our dreams seem so small and inconsequential, we doubt achieving them will mean anything. 

Yet God is the one who planted those dreams in your heart—the ones that keep you awake at night. He promises to do far more with them than we could on our own. 

Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

According to our human understanding, achieving our dreams is impossible. We so often forget that we are the children of an awesome God. He has given us our passions, and he has “impossible” plans to fulfill them. God simply asks that we be open-handed and allow him to lead. 

I’ve already seen God work through my writing in awe-inspiring ways. Whether or not the future includes my becoming a full-time author, I believe that God will continue to use my words in ways I can’t even imagine. 

It might not always look the way we expect, but God has our story already written out. If we can peel back our clenching fingers and hand over our deepest desires, God can open up infinite possibilities. He gives us the freedom to dream. 

Questions:
Do you have a dream or passion that you have been pushing away? Why do you doubt that God can use it? How have you seen God work in the past?   

Next Steps:
Do a Brain Dump: write down all of your goals and dreams and desires, then lay them out before God and pray. Ask him how he wants to use you, and then invite him to do the impossible.  

Go through GrowthTrack! This four-week course is designed to help you figure out how God has wired and gifted you and will point you toward opportunities to use those skills. 

Prayer:
Father, you have an incredible plan for me. I believe that, but sometimes I doubt the dreams that you have placed in my heart. Please give me the courage to trust you with them and to step into the journey you have for me. I know you can do impossible things. I love you. Amen. 

Series Theme Verse:
Romans 15:4
Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

This post was written by Lydia Snyder, a South attendee and regular contributor to the LivingItOut.