The Separation of Obscurity

Separation creates loneliness, and loneliness produces a longing for something. Loneliness can cause people to do desperate things, to take desperate measures to connect or reconnect. While most of us would never choose to be in this position of loneliness, it is the place God intentionally brings us. Let me explain. We are all created with an instinctive longing and desire for God, a desire for close relationship with him. The challenge is, if we’re not careful, that longing and desire can be “pacified” by something or someone else. Our primary need to have companionship with God can get displaced. In God’s great love, he calls us, and then He gives us purpose and a plan beyond what we can imagine. If we’re not careful, we end up switching our pursuit of God to pursuing the dream He’s given us. The dream that came from God can become our god. People, too often, end up worshipping the stars rather than the creator of the stars. That’s where Obscurity comes onto the scene and creates a delay, separation, and death of the dream. This allows our heart to be recaptured by God and His presence. Separation from the dream is a key part of the dream becoming a reality.

I’ve found myself wrestling with this many times over the 25+ years of running after my calling and purpose; God has had to re-focus my attention on him over my obsession with the calling.

“The separation from the dream starves our perceived need for the dream and draws our heart towards His!”

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF YOUR DREAM

I’m not sure if you've noticed, but there’s a pretty typical life cycle of a dream that you see in the Bible, and I’ve seen the same cycle in my own life. The story of Abraham being tested in Genesis 22 is one of the best pictures of what I’m talking about. It goes something like this:

1. The Dream is given to you by God.
2. The Dream experiences delays.
3. God appears to ask us to give the Dream back.
4. The Heart is tested to see if desire is for God or the dream.
5. The Dream is given back at greater levels of fulfillment.

God will show you a dream and show you the future; He may even give you a brief taste of it. What follows is usually a long period of Obscurity and development. This season reveals to us that our true fulfillment isn’t in accomplishment of the dream but in relationship with God.

“We’re equipped for the mission but designed for relationship with Jesus.”