Sara Beth Turner is a freelance photographer and one of eight Dream Pod Members in Goldenwood’s 2020-21 Dream Forum. This is our final entry in this year’s #InsidetheDreamPod series. Find out more about Sara Beth’s dream, Foster (Town) Home, following her recent reflections below:
Often God gives me dreams and they live in my head, stuck, without ever seeing the light of day. The most incredible thing I’ve learned through this process (with the Dream Forum) is that sometimes the journey of processing your dream with God and with others is, in and of itself, the fruition of the dream for now. It doesn’t have to be ‘executed’ right away, but it can be held, shared, talked about and prayed for in the safe space of an encouraging community. Also, to be reminded and counseled along the way that a dream is simply to be held with open hands, seeing what, if anything, God will do with it was such a gift.
While my dream isn’t something I think will be a reality in a week, I’ve been able to process and dream about it with others, get things on paper, envision what the reality of it could look like and ask myself the hard questions like “What is my life if not to be used for His kingdom and His glory?”
It’s almost as if my dream, our dreams, are seeds that have been taken out of the packet, carefully spread out and planted in the ground.
The ability to receive a dream vs. feeling the need to ‘achieve it’ has been so, so freeing – and has given me the ability and desire to let the dream move along – for however long it takes. It’s no longer stuck in my head. Instead I’ve been able, through this journey of processing and sharing it, to talk honestly to God and to others about it. It’s almost as if my dream, our dreams, are seeds that have been taken out of the packet, carefully spread out and planted in the ground. I don’t see the flowers yet, but I know that the seeds are no longer sealed up. Instead they’re being nurtured, watered and in God’s timing, in congruence with a fertile bed for growth, will in some way, shape, and form, bloom into glory.
About Sara Beth’s Dream: I believe a safe and proper home (with routines, rhythms, family meals, etc.) would allow these children to have space to heal, grow, apply for jobs, college, etc. Walking alongside them, with peers acting as brothers/sisters in their same phase of life, feels in many ways like bringing God’s kingdom to bear on Earth. And Lord willing, in and through this home, *true* life would be offered to these children and from them, cycles would be broken and generations changed.
Sara, thank you for sharing this message. I’ve been asking God how I can accomplish what he has for me while coming back to him in rest, quietness, and trust (Isaiah 30:15) as he said. The difficulty I see is that the “I” is not a critical component. It’s all about him, his glory, his timing, his people, his plans, his love. Without the fear of failure in the dreaming process, we’re free to support the dream with the love that it needs. I’m excited that God has invited us along on this journey to enjoy his presence in every moment.
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