Don't Stop Dreaming

Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Baseball has always been one of my favorite sports. Over the years I have had the honor of coaching my son’s team. The one thing I have always said to my players is that baseball is a game of failure. Did you know that if a professional ball player only hits just over 30% of the time he is up to bat he would be considered one of the best and end up in the Hall of Fame. It’s a game where heart, determination, and drive will always be tested.
This sounds like ministry as well. There have been times in ministry where I have wondered if what I am doing is making a difference. I have walked away from speaking wondering if anyone even heard a word that I said. I have wondered at times if I am even qualified to be used by God because of my past.
I am reminded of Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
I have always told my son that you must have a short memory when you make a mistake in baseball. Players have to realize that the play is over, and you are needed for the next play. In ministry it’s so easy to look at our failures of the past or the issues that came up that day in ministry. Sometimes we allow those memories to overshadow our dreams.
There was about 7 months before moving to Oregon in which my wife and I almost allowed our past experience to overtake our dreams. We cannot let our memories overtake our dreams. Our dreams are from our creator the God who has called us. We must press on toward the mark and win the prize in which God has called us to.
If Carrie and I did not allow God to work in us and allow others to speak into our lives I’m not sure if we would be in Oregon today or even in ministry. Today the challenge that God has for us is to never let our memories get larger than our dreams.