Week 1: Secrets to Living God's Dream for Your Life

What girl doesn't dream about her future? As I write this, I am literally 25 minutes away from Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom, which promises to make dreams come true. Little girls can become princesses. Little boys can battle intergalactic bad guys...

Week 1 of 10 Secrets of Extraordinary Women* has us look deeper into our dreams from childhood and how they have impacted who we have become as adults. Have we fulfilled those dreams? Are we aware of our strengths and are we using them to fulfill God's dream for us?

Day 1 starts off by reminding us that Life is More Than Just Getting By*. We are not meant to just sit around and wait for judgement day. Debra brought up Proverbs 19:21, which says, "Many are the plans in a person's heart but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." You need to take time to recognize God's purpose for you.

The word "purpose" appears 80 times throughout scripture. The definition of purpose is the reason for which something is done or created- or the reason why something exists.

Here, Debra read to us Ephesians 5:15-17 about managing your time. Monica noted that you need to meet your needs and then the needs of those around you. That order is on purpose. We need to be able to take care of ourselves to then be able to take care of the needs of those around us. When our focus is taking care of our needs first, we are better able to help those in our lives who need it. Take into account the triune person. So much emphasis is placed on the spiritual, emotional, and even mental and less on the physical. How can we do the Will of the Father when we are not cognizant of our physicality. We are successful when we take care of our physical form.

Planning helps you to look back on all you have accomplished and makes your time seem more valuable.

Merely living and trudging from each week and month without any joy or peace is how many of us find ourselves living. That peace is a peace that passes all understanding as stated in Philippians 4:7.

You can't ignore the areas of your life that cause you pain. Acknowledge and address the issues that cause you pain. For instance, the mental health issue that we have right now in the US is perhaps being abused. God can heal us from any pain. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast our anxieties on Him. Debra mentioned it's enough to simply be able to quote scripture if you don't go home and live it. You have to believe in your heart what the Bible tells us in order to receive that peace.

We tend to jump to the conclusion that God is not answering our prayers when we don't see the results we are hoping for. For instance, when we lose a parent or loved, either by death or abandonment. We may pray to have that person back because we feel the loss. But what if God is saving that person from loss by calling him/her home. What if He is saving you from worse pain by removing the parent who is causing strife to your family at home? Those areas of pain help us to grow to become stronger people. I am reminded of a song I Wish You Pain by pop singer Andy Grammer. The song is a letter to his daughters telling them that he doesn't want them to have an easy life where nothing happens to them. He wants them to experience heartbreak and struggles, because it is how we grow.

"'Cause I love you more than you could know And your heart, it grows every time it breaks I know that it might sound strange

… But I wish you pain Wish you pain It's hard to say But I wish you pain"

God says that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. You just have keep the faith. The weapons are going to come. People are going to do mean, nasty hurtful things. The enemy is going to use them to affect you. As you grow in your spirit, you begin to pray for the deliverance of the person being hurtful towards you.

People who are merely living believe they do not have power to change their circumstances. Romans 12:2 reveals that the world will say to you that you are stuck. We have to be transformed by the renewal of our lives. Transform your thought process to align with the will of God. Don't speak curses over yourselves or your children. Social media is influencing society away from the Word and into what the masses are thinking. We live in a time of instant gratification. If it feels good, then do it.

Here are seven things extraordinary women do as found on page 17 of 10 Secrets of Extraordinary Women*:

1) Disappointments will not dampen their enthusiasm.

2) Challenges and conflicts will not decide how we face circumstances.

3) Not allow family challenges to bury their gifts.

4) Physical limitations (illness) will not rob them of their joy.

5) Money (or the lack of it) will not determine your happiness.

6) Don't dwell on what they do not have and recognize what they do have and are grateful for it.

7) Not become overwhelmed by tough choices, but rely on the Holy Spirit to direct them.

Through reflection, we realize that many of our childhood dreams have come true, even if it is not in the way we thought they would.

Day 2 is titled Something Bigger*. Debra quoted Isaiah 55:11, So shall my Word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Monica shared that her fear is not having the opportunity to fulfill the work that God has given her. She lives her life from a future perspective. What is the legacy we are going to leave for our children. What are we doing now that is perfect for the future that only God can see?

We plant more seeds outside the church than we do in church. When our actions align with God's Word, others see it and can be blessed by it, as Angie shared with stories of crosses showing up in students' drawings at art class and a discussion with a young girl who had questions about faith. The image we present in public is a reflection of who we are. As women of God, we need to present an appearance that reflects that we are confident in His love and we are women that we are someone that others should want to emulate.

Monica brought up 2 Corinthians 2:14-17, which talks about the fragrance that we leave behind. I am the fragrance of God. Fragrance means smell and scent. It is capable of seeping into every crack and crevice. When someone enters or leaves a room, the first thing you notice is their fragrance. What smell is left lingering when I leave? What is my role as a fragrance diffuser of God's word? Does my fragrance leave people refreshed?

Day 3 reminds us we are Beautiful in His Eyes*. When we talk about beauty, we are not talking about America's definition of beauty. Psalm 139:13-16 is found on page 24 of the book. We want to be seen as beautiful. God says, even before we are created, he knew us. We are beautiful in His eyes. Take care of your health, but don't get consumed in the America standard of beauty. God created us beautiful in His sight. We don't need all the physical alterations to make us "beautiful" to society. God see us as beautiful in how we are created.

Day 4 says to Focus on Your Strengths*. How do we find our strengths, what we are good at? Knee jerk reaction is to focus at what we are not good at. We need to start focussing what are good at.

Teaching others to be dependable is part of the maturation process. Monica mentioned, it is hard (especially as mothers or as teachers) to not do things ourselves that would take us 3 seconds to do, but teach others to do it. Not only does it take the burden of the task off of us, but it also helps the other person develop a skill to help them live a more independent life.

We do have many strengths. We need to focus on our strengths and be intentional in what we do. We need to intentionally focus on the things we are great at, and reach out for help with the things we are not as strong in.

The quote by Judy Garland on page 29 says it all. "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."

Extraordinary women use their strengths in little things to make big differences (p. 30). Debra read Deuteronomy 31:6. On page 31, there is a list of strengths that help us pick out what we are good at. The top of the page mentions, "I can focus on my strengths and use them for service to God and others, or I can berate myself for my weaknesses." So often we don't do things because we are afraid. When asking God for something, we can look at it as Lord, I already don't have it, so what's the worst that can happen, rather than feeling rejected when you don't get it.

Day 5 talks about Ages, Stages, and Changes*. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 starts with There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven. We grow up knowing that there are stages we are meant to go through: graduate at 18, go to college for 4 years, start your career, get married, have babies... We can tend to feel like failures when things don't happen in that pattern, but we need to realize, it may not be our season at that time.

We need to realize where we are in our season and what can we do to grow during that season? God will use you in all ages and stages of life. Everything is orchestrated for where you are now.

Extraordinary women decide to hold onto and live their dreams regardless of their circumstances. Be faithful in the small things, and God will entrust more to you as you mature and grow in your faith. To capture God's dream for your life, you must recognize and know how to use the special gifts God has blessed you with. Choose to focus on what you are good at and use your gift to further God's Kingdom. God can and will use you in all ages, stages and seasons in your life.

This blog was taken from the WISE Women gathering on February 25. Many ideas were used from the recording of our conversations that were not directly referenced. Those in attendance were Monica, Debra, and Angie.

*WISE Women Ministry is completing a book study on 10 Secrets to Extraordinary Women by Julie Clinton. The discussion contained in the blog includes references from this book.