HOUSE OF ROBERTS BLOG

In the book of Hebrews 11:12 it says this about a man named Abraham, “And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.” God gave Abraham this promise that one day he would have children and eventually through his lineage an entire nation would be born. In order to help Abraham visualize just how big his family would be God gave him two examples, stars and sand. 

Dad, I bet that there are things that you are dreaming about right now. You probably have a vision for you and your family’s life, you have goals that you want to accomplish, and maybe even a dream board or two. I know I do, I have a big vision for my life and for my family. It’s a dream that I believe is from God, and as a result, it is one that is beyond my ability to accomplish on my own. With that said, we have to talk about the tension of pursuing a God-given dream. What parts am I responsible for, and what parts is God responsible for? Is living by faith, like Abraham, all about doing nothing and just trusting God? Am I supposed to just keep my head down, work really hard, and hope that God blesses it? What is the posture that we need to have to pursue what God has put in our hearts? To answer that I give you what God gave Abraham, stars and sand. We must live our lives with our eyes on the stars and our hands in the sand.

What do I mean by eyes on the stars? Stars represent something beyond your reach. They cause you to get out of your house, pick up your head, and look up. Eyes on the stars means that we must not lose sight of the vision or dream that God has given us. Sometimes we can get so focused on what we are doing that we live with our heads down, and if we never look up at the stars and remember that vision that we are going after we will struggle to follow through and see that dream realized. 

What do I mean about hand in the sand? God-size dreams come with parts that only He can do. If you can accomplish on your own what is on your heart to pursue then that vision is not from God. God always leads us to the pursuit of a dream that requires a dependency on him. With that said, there is always a part that we are to play in that pursuit as well. We are not called to live a life where we don’t do anything and just wait for God to do something. No, there is something that God has put in your hands and we are meant to keep our hands in the sand by working hard with what He has given us. The Bible calls that stewardship.

My observation is that we all have a lean as to which one comes easier to us. Some of us are eyes on the stars people, we have no problem dreaming and imagining new ideas, products, or businesses. Often though, eyes on the stars people don’t keep their hands in the sand and work with what they have so they tend to have all these dreams but they are never realized. They are then frustrated with life and God because they don’t see any of these dreams come true. On the other side, hands in the sand people tend to get so focused on working that they forget to look up and remember that the vision that they are pursuing will require God’s help. They tend to over-work and struggle with stress and anxiety because they are trying to make it happen on their own.

Pursuing a God-given vision requires us to look up at the stars and to keep our hands in the sand. That means that you should be dreaming, Dad. Keep that vision in front of you, but remember that you can’t do it all on your own. There is a God who is with you, and He will help you, He will provide for you, and He will make a way where there seems to be no way. That also means that you have to work with what God has given you right now. Your dream might have a different job in it, which is great, but work hard at the job you have right now. Don’t just wait for opportunities to present themselves, take some risks, do your best, and get better.

Dad keep your eyes on the stars and your hands in the sand. Keep dreaming and keep working hard, and like Abraham, you will see the faithfulness of God in your life. Things will begin to open up for you, opportunities will present themselves, and most importantly you will have the joy of knowing that you accomplished something great in partnership with your Heavenly Father. You got this Dad!