"Dream big, but start small" are the words that I have heard as I have prayed about the coming year.
"Dream big, but start small" are the words that have come to me over and over again as I have pondered all that God has for me in 2020.
I believe that those words might be what God is speaking to you as well, as you prepare to partner with Him to make a magnificent difference in the coming year.
When God was encouraging Abram to dream big dreams, He showed Abram all of the stars in the universe. God had already told Abram that his reward would be very great, but Abram had a difficult time believing the words and plans of God. In Genesis 15:5, God took Abram outside and said, "'Look up toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.' And He said to him, 'So will your descendants be.'"
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2020 is the year of counting the stars for the children of God. You cannot out-dream God, my friend. It is impossible! 2020 will be a year when those who are bold enough and decide to dream with God understand all that is possible when our lives are submitted to His will and to His ways. Count the stars! Dream big!
"But start small" is the quick three-word instruction that follows the call to "Dream big!"
You can "start small" by being faithful in the little things in life. You can continue to tithe even when the finances are tight; you can continue to teach Sunday school when you would prefer to be teaching thousands. You can continue to be kind when others have been cruel to you; you can continue to pray even when you think that your prayers are going unanswered.
Ruth was a woman in the Bible who was faithful in the small things in life. When her life had collapsed by the early death of her husband and by leaving all that she knew and held dear, Ruth faithfully served her elderly mother-in-law with tenderness and kindness. She submitted to Naomi's plans and worked hard to support her.
Ruth had dirt under fingernails and rose early during those days of her life when she was called to be faithful in the little things. But God was preparing her to give birth to a son who would be mentioned in the lineage of the Christ-child!
She could not have imagined what days of gleaning in the field would produce for her! Ruth started small and didn't complain. How I long to be like Ruth!
The words of Jesus resound through the ages as a call to faithfulness, which is always a prerequisite to greatness:
"'Well done, you good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter the joy of your master'" (Matt. 25:21). 
Carol McLeod is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. She has written five books: No More Ordinary, Holy Estrogen!, The Rooms of a Woman's Heart, Defiant Joy! and Refined: Finding Joy in the Midst of the Fire. Her teaching DVD The Rooms of a Woman's Heart won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award for excellence in religious programming.
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