The Calling vs. A Dream: which is it?

Is there a difference between a calling and a dream? The short answer: yes.

Although I didn't know it at the time, I was called to move to Utah. Was it a dream of mine to live in Salt Lake City? Definitely, no. It was far away from everything I'd ever known, and my family, and my friends. I got here and quickly discovered that I am a minority. Which was also new to me. I struggled to find my place and I feared I had made a mistake; maybe Utah wasn't where we were really meant to be. It definitely wasn't easy, none of it. But after meeting some sour apples, we found a house and met some good people, and those led to other good people. Before I could even realize it had happened, we had built a new home and had made a new family. It wasn't until many years later, when Tim and I entertained leaving Utah, that I realized I had been called here all those years ago, and that we were meant to be exactly where we were.

I have so many dreams in my head, big dreams. But I've also had dreams that have floundered and fallen to pieces. When I was a kid I wanted to be a singer. My siblings and I would put on elaborate concerts of our favorite songs and perform to the most supportive audience: our family. I would even memorize my favorite pop songs and record myself on the camcorder lip-syncing along to them, and then would play them back, watching as it sounded like I was really belting out those magnificent tunes. The reality - I would have had to stick to the lip-syncing because I am completely tone-deaf. That dream would never come to fruition for me.

Sometimes, though, our callings can be our dreams. I dreamed of becoming a mother and it was my calling to have both of my babies. I dreamed of marrying Tim, and it was also my calling to do just that. I knew pretty much from the moment I met him that I was in love. It was a kind of love that only a 14 year old girl could have for the "older" boy, but over the last 18 years it has changed and matured and grown into the beautiful story that only our hearts can tell.

What is amazing is when our callings and our dreams become congruent. There is true power when our calling, something that cries out specifically for us, a need that only we can fulfill, meets our dreams, the deepest, most inner wants of our hearts, of our souls. The pairing of these two elements creates our divine destiny.

That divine destiny is the ultimate powerhouse and it begs to be answered. It is that inextinguishable burning deep inside, the insatiable thirst, those words that play on repeat over and over again. When your calling and dreams collide, magical things can happen, and those are the moments for us to rise up, to be brave and courageous, and take a step into the unknown to chase that divine destiny. You have to put in the work, that divine destiny will never come to fruition if we don't work toward it. Make the commitment. The journey might be tough. It might be hard as ever, the hardest you've ever gone through, but push through the anguish and struggle. Have faith. Faith that this is exactly where you are meant to be. Faith in the knowledge that when you meet a closed door along the way, you already have the key. Be steadfast and do not waiver.

Where we find that faith, that strength that pushes us to carry on, is different for everyone. Christ is where I summon my strength to persevere and chase after that destiny. It is my faith in Him that fortifies my soul for the journey and when things get difficult, like I know they will, I look up. He is the One who put the tools in my hands and that fire in my heart, and when I hold onto the faith that I am where He wants me to be, I am at peace. He knows the way, He is almighty. He will guide me through the uncertain darkness, and His strength will sustain me when I am weak. His whisper in my heart will be my shield when Satan's lies rise up to make me doubt myself and His purpose for me.

I challenge you, beautiful, wonderful you... do you know what you are being called to? Silence the noise around you and listen...not to reply, but to understand; it will present itself when you're ready. Do you know what your dreams are? Those thoughts that play on repeat, over and over... be brave, my friend. You are never alone. Scary as it may be, the beginning starts with a single step.

"..at some point your heart [begins] to beat with a different rhythm, and now here you are, ready to take the first brave step." 

Annie F. Downs
100 Days to Brave