God’s Advice For Wives Shembull

Dream Big Together

“We grow great by dreams,” said Woodrow Wilson. “All big men are dreamers.” I wonder if the opposite is true. Do men fail to achieve greatness when they stop dreaming? Most dreams aren’t fulfilled without a fight. I find I’m fiercest in my helper role when defending David’s dreams—especially through prayer.

David and I have discovered that our dreams can motivate us and guide us toward God’s purposes for our lives. When we dream together, we grow closer to each other. Our shared dreams, and especially the tests and trials that go along with those dreams, knit us together like comrades in war. 

This was especially true when we were raising our children. We were both passionate about the shared dream of launching our kids to glorify God. It’s no wonder God designed marriage and the family as the best vehicle for propagating the human race.

Let’s go back to Genesis 2:18, our key verse on marriage from the Bible. The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (NIV). It was God himself who said it was “not good” for humans to be alone.

To solve the problem of aloneness for Adam, God didn’t create a club, a classroom, a corporation, social media, a team, or an army. He made a “helper,” a corresponding but equal companion and a rock of support. He also created a lifelong covenant relationship called “marriage” between a man and a woman. Male and female. One flesh. Until death. Together a couple would be capable of creating more humans and nurturing them to adulthood. A chore made easier because they would discover a sacrificial love for each other that was fiercer than the love they felt for themselves.

Perhaps you’re thinking about your own family right now. Or the family you hope to have one day. You and your husband have been uniquely gifted for the family God has given you. The Bible says you are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). There is nothing like creating a home and family together to inspire big dreams. The point is to find ways you can dream big together.

As much as I believe that individual success is rewarding, seeing a shared dream come true, in my experience, is sublime. 

• “Dreams can motivate us and guide us toward God’s purposes for our lives.” Can you think of examples when this has been true in your life?
• What are some of your husband’s dreams? How does Ephesians 2:10 inspire you to show support for those dreams? 
• How does Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 encourage you to work together with your husband to support each other and your shared dreams?
• What are some specific prayers you can lift up to God to support your husband’s and children’s dreams?