Dreaming BIG for me is a relatively new concept. I've never been one to spend time on "nonsense" like that. Not sure why.. but I've always felt that dreaming big dreams was kinda silly and immature. Over the past few years, in an attempt to help others, I've slowly starting dreaming big myself. I've began making plans for my future, plans that are big and exciting. Now it is just apart of who I am. I think that no matter if we are a big dreamer or not, we all want success. We all have this idea in our head of what success looks like, especially for those working towards improving their health. We dream of fitting into that specific size, looking a certain way in a swimsuit or simply having that feeling of confidence. There is nothing wrong with setting goals and dreaming big but I think if we aren't careful we get so caught up in the end result that we fail to see the importance of the journey that we are currently on.This is especially so when we experience setbacks and failure. Failure could easily be my middle name these days. Every step I take forward I feel I'm taking two back. Have you ever felt that way? Like there are obstacles constantly standing in your way of achieving what you want?

 I had an Aha! moment recently that completely changed my perspective. It was a moment where I was being particularly hard on myself for just not having it together (I mean seriously, do any of us ever REALLY have it together?) In that moment, God whispered to my heart It's all in the journey.. you are a work in progress. I was kinda taken aback by that. I stopped and paused.. and for the first time I saw things a little more clearly. What if life is less about getting to that Big Goal and more about who we become in the process? Stop and think about that for a moment. All those trails.. all the struggles and obstacles.. what if they are less about preventing you from getting to your goal and more about God's way of shaping you and molding you to be the person HE wants you to be. Isaiah 64:8 says, "But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand." God wants us to grow in our spiritual maturity. He wants us to become more Christ like and to live out the plan he has for us but often times we don't grow unless we are placed in situations that put us under a little pressure. It's in those tense moments that we become stronger and grow closer to him. Do I think God causes the turmoil in our life? Absolutely not. But, I do believe he allows certain things to happen so we have a reason to lean on him and depend on him instead of on our own strength. I love Rick Warren's perspective of this. He says, "Everything that happens to a child of God is father-filtered, and he intends to use it for good even when Satan and others mean it for bad."

So, what if the next time we run into an obstacle that is standing between us and our goals we take a step back and look at it through new eyes? What if we use our setbacks as opportunities to spend more time in prayer?  One thing I've learned from this is that I'm never going to be perfect and as much as I try, I'm going to fail, BUT.. that's okay! God doesn't love us for what we do or don't do. Our mistakes don't make him love us any less. God loves us just the way we are, our messes and all. What a relief right?!