one of the phases we enter while pursuing dreams is “sanctuary,” which is significant in two ways. sanctuaries are safe places. a bird sanctuary is a place where species can live and breed safely to protect their existence. in times of war, people would often run to church sanctuaries for protection. in churches, sanctuaries are where the congregation meets for fellowship and spiritual growth, but especially to communicate with God. so sanctuary in the context of pursuing dreams in similar. it’s a place of spiritual renewal, protection, and communication with God. david describes this in psalm 23, “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
when we draw nearer to God in sanctuary, His light surrounds us and shines through us. while this illumination is exciting, just to be in His presence, it’s also very telling. the contrast between God’s light and the darkness in us is more real than ever. what we see in ourselves can make us uncomfortable. but God sees all that we see too, and yet he calls us to come closer still. and He can take away the darkness, making more room for His light to shine in us and through us. john 3:30 says, “He must increase, but i must decrease.”
it is during this time of close communion with God that we are reminded our dreams are His, that He has placed them on our hearts. though we may be tempted to make our dreams our own, it’s important to surrender our dreams to God. this is not a one time surrender, but something we have to do regularly to ensure God really is first in our lives.
lauren laughs 