4 Tips to Finding Your Purpose & Pursuing Your Dreams Right Now

Are you a Christian woman trying to find your purpose and fulfill your dreams right now? Are you struggling to know how this all fits with your God-given role as a wife and mom? Well then, you’re in the right place! Keep reading for the encouragement you need to find your purpose and pursue your dreams right now!

My toddler dreams of being a superhero. 

We purchased a superman shirt in his size for his birthday. It’s his “Super Sam” shirt.

The desire runs deep in his boy nature to save the world from all the dark forces. His imagination runs wild as he dreams of the next person in need of his saving powers.

We don’t suppress his dream. Why would we? He’s only a child!

We tell him his desire to be brave, to conquer, to be a hero is part of who God made him to be.

He can be brave, and he can be strong!

He can use his power for the good of others.

[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. ~2 Timothy 1:9

As women, we are made to give life.

I believe each of us is made with a God-given purpose that enables us to breathe life into our homes, churches, and communities.

We all have dreams and ideas buried deep within us. Dreams and ideas that when brought to the light and given voice could change the world.

To be sure, the dream may not feel all that flashy or world-changing, and maybe it’s not by the world’s standards, but, sister, it is Kingdom changing when it’s God’s will and purpose bubbling up to the surface and being given air time.

God has gifted you in such a unique way, and to be honest, I think you might have forgotten how to dream.

I think you’re caught in your comfort zone, your “biblical priorities,” and you’ve stopped believing that you’re made for more than you’re living right now.

You’ve stopped thinking bigger, and you’ve settled into a life of unbiblical resolve because dreaming, and then working out those dreams, in a fallen world is hard!

I don’t think you really understand what a difference you can make when you walk boldly in the plans God has for you.

I know this because it’s my story, too. It’s my battle, too.

This isn’t about dreaming as the world dreams.

This is about becoming who God has created you to be as a woman in Christ, and it’s about living out more fully what He bought you for at an extravagant price.

God sent His Son for you.

Jesus bled and died for you.

He was raised on the third day for you.

He sent His Holy Spirit for you.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”

– John 14:12

Did you catch that?

Jesus said those who believe in Him will do greater works than He did! Let that sink in…

Just like I fan the flame of holy desire within my son, the Holy Spirit wants to fan the flame of holy desire within you.

Today I want to open the flood gates. I want to inspire you to dream, to seek what it is that God has for you, so buckle up because it’s time to get to work.

4 Tips to Finding Your Purpose and Pursuing Your Dreams Right Now

1. Allow yourself to dream

When my husband and I got married, he asked me,

“What are your dreams? If you could do anything, what would you want to do?”

My blank stare haunted him for weeks.

I didn’t know.

I’d never been given permission to dream.

I was a wife. I wanted to be a mom. Dreams? Weren’t those dreams?

Being a wife and mom is incredible! It is a dream come true for me, but it is only a part of the whole of me.

Maybe you need permission to dream, so step one…

Consider this your permission to start dreaming!

2. Pursue God for your dreams

I didn’t have a burning passion for anything when my husband first asked me about my dreams. I was sort of dead, and to be honest, it was several years before I began to grasp that I was made for more.

But when I sought the Lord and His purposes for my life, I discovered a yearning, a passion deep within me that could not be denied.

I want to create a life that makes it impossible to not think about God.

I want everything I do to speak to His name.

I want each of my roles to reflect this mission.

I want to use the gifts God has given me for His glory and purposes, not my own.

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Galatians 5:13

The purpose I found when I pursued the Lord and His dreams for me is what keeps me coming back to the blinking cursor week after week.

This passion is what keeps me scrubbing toilets and wiping little bottoms.

This passion is what has me reading God’s Word and expanding my capacity by pursuing growth in the Lord.

This passion is what God has awakened in my heart, and it is from this place that I serve day in and day out, pursuing my calling and chasing the dreams He’s given me. For me not to do this would be a shame.

It would be a shame because God has gifted me to fulfill His purpose. The gifts He’s given me aren’t for me. They are for you, for my children and husband, for my friends and family, for my neighbors, and anyone else God brings my way.

You, too, have been gifted by God for a purpose, and I encourage you to pray for a greater understanding of who you are and who He has created you to be!

If you need help on this step, I have a free resource that I created specifically with you in mind.

Click here to get my free guide to discovering your purpose. I will walk with you step-by-step through the process of discovering your purpose and writing it down. Then I’ll take you a step further to setting goals and priorities based on your God-given purpose.

3. Make a plan to achieve your dreams

As I write, I hear my son say, “Super Sam to the rescue. I need to do this!”

After you have pursued God for your God-sized dreams, “you need to do this,” and you need to make a plan to do it.

Research shows that the dopamine releasing in your brain as you set a new goal is like achieving the goal itself.

You feel good about finding your purpose. You feel good about your fresh vision. You’re excited about your dreams.

But sister friend, don’t stop there.

You need to make a plan for how you will work toward your dreams in the daily grind of life. This starts with setting small bite-sized goals, setting your focus for this season, and then being faithful to show up and make progress.

If you need help with this step, I’d love to help!

I designed the Made to Give Life Planner for Christian women like you! I want to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be. This isn’t just another Christian day planner to keep your appointments in.

It’s a way of life – a way of life that says I have a God-given purpose and I want to be faithful to my calling.

The Made to Give Life Planner will guide you through making plans and setting goals based on God’s priorities for you right now in this season, right where you are. No more wondering if what you’re doing now is the best thing for this season of your life. Click here to learn more.

Whether you use my planner system or not, making a plan will help you work toward your dreams even while you’re covered in bananas and boogers. I promise! Don’t skip this step.

4. Rely on God to fulfill your dreams and purpose

Finally, don’t go it alone in this journey to living out your purpose and dreams. You will not succeed in your own self-sufficiency. Trust me! I’ve tried!

I said at the beginning of the post this isn’t about pursuing dreams as the world sees it. It’s about knowing what God has saved you for, and living out that purpose day-in and day-out.

Maybe you’re thinking, but I’m just a stay at home mom, or I have to keep my priorities straight because this is my most important job – being a wife and mom. I can’t pursue my dreams and care for my home the way I should.

I say that’s baloney buns. Yep. Baloney buns, I tell ya’!

Yes, being a wife and mom is part of who you are, but it’s not the only thing you are.

If God is leading you down a path, He will provide what you need as you go forth. God knows your priorities. He won’t ask you to compromise them as you pursue His will (and if you are compromising, then dare I say, it might be time to check yourself).

God has given you the spiritual gifts needed to fulfill the dreams He has placed in your heart, but here’s what you need to hear: There will be times it might not feel like you’re making a lot of progress. It might even feel like your dreams are all but dead as you change another diaper, nurse another baby, break up another sibling fight, wait another year for the marriage proposal that doesn’t come, or endure another mindless meeting.

But this is where faith comes in.

This is where relying on God for your purpose and the fulfillment of your God-given dreams matters most.

Sometimes it might look like a sprint; other times you’ll need the endurance of Job to weather the trials that will come along the way of living out your calling.

But rely on God. Lean hard into Him. Keep seeking Him. Keep worshiping. Keep being faithful. Keep choosing life.

God has created you for a purpose. Now go become the woman of God He has created you to be and fulfill those dreams He’s given you.

If you need some help getting started, then I suggest starting with my free eBook, Made for Him. It will guide you every step of the way in discovering your purpose and living it more fully. Click here to get started.

Originally published January 16, 2014 and updated June 24, 2021.