Some say it is will power. I know my will power only goes so far - just show me a a container of caramel popcorn. We can try to use will power but sooner or later our will power will run out. We cannot succeed through brute strength, intelligence, knowledge, or great wealth. All of these things are helpful but without this one key ingredient we will not be successful.
The one key ingredient to seeing your dreams come true is the power of Faith. We must BELIEVE it is possible to lose that 20 pounds, run that marathon, write that book, or take that trip of a lifetime. We must believe God is at work in our lives even though we may not see changes right now.
For example, I had wanted to go to Argentina for 10 years. Ever since I toured the Argentine Tall Ship that docked in the Baltimore Harbor one summer, I promised myself "Someday, I am going to go to Argentina." Now traveling to South America as a single woman is not exactly an easy thing to do. There are safety issues, language issues, and travel issues. Yet, I had faith. I was going to go to Argentina.
Two years ago, I decided it was time. After a few months of planning, lots of research, and applying for a Brazilian visa, I was off to South America on American Airlines. I wound up visiting not only Argentina, but Brazil as well. It was a dream come true and all because of the seed of Faith that was planted 10 years earlier.
So, what exactly is Faith?
To put it simply, Faith is the positive belief of things not yet seen. It is the belief that our dreams can come true. It is the fuel that fires up our engines. Without faith, we idle through life, never really achieving anything great and watching our dreams go up in a puff of smoke. A life without faith is not the life we were intended to live.
Faith begins with a belief in God because God is the ultimate source of all good things as well as the power to achieve them. When I exclude God from the equation, I am setting myself up for a lot of hard work and eventual failure and disappointment. It is God who gives us the grace and the power to succeed and flourish.
I like to think of Faith as a muscle we all possess. In the same way we need to develop our physical muscles to lift stronger weights, if we want to achieve greater things in life, it is necessary to strengthen our spiritual muscle. Each goal we achieve builds our faith and our confidence. We can stand on our victories and our failures like stepping stones that help us step up to the next level.
We all fall at times. The key is to pick ourselves up and get back in the race. Proverbs 24:16 says "Though the righteous may fall 7 times, but the Lord will always raise him back up." There is no shame in failing or falling. In fact, failure is one of the best ways to strengthen our spiritual muscle.
Look how many times Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln failed. Failure builds character and strengthens our spiritual muscle. If you have failed or fallen recently, I encourage you to get back in the game. If you're still on this earth, God still has a plan and a purpose for your life, but it is up to us to do our part to make our dreams come true and make a difference in this world.
If you have a dream you want to see come true, ask yourself this question "Do I truly believe this can happen in my life?" Stretch yourself. Start saying things like "I believe I can break this habit." "I believe I can lose this weight." "I believe I can make it through this." Even when we don't see a way, God can make a way. He promises to make our crooked paths straight.
Whatever trial you're going through, use it as an opportunity to strengthen your spiritual muscle and to grow your faith. When you look back at your life and see what God has brought you through and how many of your dreams really have come true, you will be amazed and filled with gratitude.
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Stay tuned for more practical and positive wisdom to help us all find healing, wholeness, and harmony so we can ignite the power within and discover our destinies!
Keep looking up!
Ariel Paz
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