For followers of Jesus, daydreaming can be both a blessing and a curse. On the blessing side, what we daydream about offers significant insight into what God created you to do for His Kingdom. If you aren’t certain where your passions lie, pay attention to the things about which you daydream. We tend to dream about those things which captivate and fascinate us. One of the great joys in life is figuring out the intersection between your passions and God’s mission.
On the flip side, daydreaming can be an insidious thief of your time and energy. We can waste hours daydreaming and not accomplishing anything for God’s glory. As disciples, we know it is our duty to be good stewards of our time, so we must be careful our daydreaming does not inhibit our Kingdom building.
Satan can use our daydreams to discourage and frustrate us. If we’re constantly dreaming about things we don’t have or the person we aren’t, the devil can keep us stuck in neutral. It’s difficult to get excited about devoting our lives to Christ when we are discouraged about where are lives are now. The more we let our eyes drift to the treasures and pleasures of this world, the less time we’ll be focused on what really matters. As our focus drifts from Kingdom building to selfish pursuits, we become increasingly ineffective for God’s Kingdom.
What has your attention has you. Your life will drift in the direction of your focus. Daydreaming, whether intentional or not, gives our focus to what we want most. If you are daydreaming about your love for Jesus or ways in which you can help build His Kingdom, daydreaming can be a positive way to spend your time. Before you can do something, you must first have the vision to get it done (Luke 14:28).
Where daydreaming becomes dangerous is when we spend the time we should be giving to God to dream about our own wishes and desires. Selfishness and pride are at the root of all sins. God knows what is best for your life, and whenever we dream of what we conceive to be a “better” life, we are usurping both His authority and sovereignty. We surrendered our lives to Him. We must now trust He knows what he’s doing. Our desires never trump His, but recognize He created us in such a way our truest desire will be to serve Him.
About what are you daydreaming? Are you collaborating with God to determine innovative ways to use your strengths and passions to build His Kingdom? Or are you wasting your life thinking about bigger and better things to benefit only yourself? Remember to be a wise steward of your time. Capture your thoughts, and throw out any that do nothing to glorify God or build His Kingdom (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). The one desire woven into every human soul is to know God for who He is. Let’s dream about ways we can know Him better. Let’s daydream ways to love and serve at a higher level. Don’t waste your time dreaming of what will profit only you. Let’s dream together about building His Church through our obedience to Him and service to others.