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In this episode of A More Beautiful Life Collective, we’re talking about what it looks like to dream with God—without shame, guilt, or comparison. So often we hold back from pursuing the desires on our hearts because of fear, overwhelm, or feeling like our dreams don’t “count.” But Scripture reminds us that our identity is secure in Christ, our calling unfolds in seasons, and our values can serve as a filter to keep us aligned with God’s purpose. When we root our identity in Christ and embrace our unique calling, we can take small, faithful steps forward with confidence. If you’ve ever struggled to move from vision to action, this conversation will encourage you to dream boldly, act intentionally, and live in alignment with faith, family, and work.
S3E4 – Clarifying Your Mission: Influence, Ministry, & Your Why – A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast
In Season 3, Episode 4 of A More Beautiful Life Collective podcast, we're exploring why clarifying your “why” is the keystone to living with purpose and avoiding burnout. We unpack how hustling without direction leads to overcommitment, comparison, and exhaustion, while a God-given mission statement provides traction, focus, and freedom to say no. Learn to align gifts, burdens, and seasons with your calling, filter decisions through a simple mission, and turn everyday influence—parenting, ministry, creative work—into fruitful Kingdom impact. Perfect for Christian women seeking intentional living, faith-centered productivity, and clarity of purpose.Read the full post here: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/clarifying-your-mission-influence-ministry-your-why/Get the 30 Days to a Life You Love Challenge here: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/product/30-days-to-a-life-you-love-challenge-tracker-slow-living-printable-tracker-faith-simplicity-peace/Get the Full Life You Love Toolkit here: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/product/a-life-you-love-toolkit-christian-intentional-living-planner-toolkit-for-women/Get the Build a More Beautiful Life: 5 Days to Align Your Faith, Family and Work here: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/product/build-a-more-beautiful-life-faith-and-family-devotional-workbook-5-day-christian-pdf-to-align-faith-family-and-work/Get The Faithful 12 Goal-setting Kickstart Planner Here: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/product/your-12-week-year-pdf-guide/ Get Cultivate: A Faithful Framework for Aspirations, Goals & Habits here: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/product/cultivate-a-faithful-framework-for-aspirations-goals-habits-christian-goal-setting-workbook-faith-based-planner-printable/ …Visit our Shop to get a copy of any of the resources mentioned in this episode: I’m your host, Cayce Fletcher, and you can learn a little bit more about me here. While you’re here, would you consider leaving a comment, rating, or review? You can find our podcast, A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube. Subscribe to the blog for access to our latest content and some freebies. I love creating and sharing resources with you. You can find all of our resources at A More Beautiful Life Collective Shop.Keep creating a life you love, and cultivating your heart for God.
Hey everyone, and welcome to Season 3, Episode 3 of A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast. This morning, as I’m writing this script, the house is quiet. I just hear the whirr of the ceiling fan and the gentle breathing of my baby girl as I sip on my coffee and think about the nature of dreams.
I remember sitting around at the pool several years ago and a friend asking me, “If money were no object, what would you do? What work would you pursue?” A common icebreaker question – but one that really shows us something profound about ourselves.
What do you think? What would you do? What work would you pursue?
My response was a quick one because it was a question I had thought about often. You see, that summer, I had just had my second child and was getting ready to head into the classroom. I had also just started this blog. And, I knew that if I could, I would love to just be able to write.
For the years prior, I had brainstormed what I wanted to write about and the type of website I wanted to create. (I had even bought a domain name the first year we were married, but never got around to publishing the actual website.) I didn’t know exactly where to begin, but I knew that I wanted to.
Have you ever felt like dreaming was selfish? Or like your dreams didn’t ‘count’ because they weren’t as big as someone else’s?
Anytime that you step forward in the direction of your dreams, it can be a little scary. You are ‘putting yourself out there’ to be criticized and critiqued. You are putting yourself out there to be ridiculed and judged. People may say, “Who does she think she is?” They may also say, “Doesn’t she know she has enough on her plate?”
But, I’m here to tell you today that it’s okay to dream boldly, act intentionally, and align it all with your God-given identity.
Because when we walk forward in the direction of our calling, we are doing good Kingdom work. We are laboring for God, not for man.
Our dreams matter. So let’s create our dreams.
Why We Struggle to Pursue Dreams
I remember the first time that I sat down to plan out what I wanted a blog to say. I opened up a blank Google Doc and started to write. But, everything seemed too overwhelming: What was the name? What was the audience? What am I even trying to do? Who do I even think I am?
Have you ever felt this kind of spiral as you start to brainstorm a project?
We have a great idea. We talk to people about it. They encourage us. And so, we take the leap. We say, “Yes! I’m going to take one step in the direction of my dreams.” So we pull out the pen and paper and then…
Blank.
What’s next?
Should I check Facebook?
Maybe, Instagram?
Okay, I don’t know what to do. Maybe I need to research it.
(4 hours later) I still don’t know what I want to do…. And this person says it’s too expensive, competitive, and just not worth it.
Can you relate?
This dream spiral is often fueled by some common dream blockers:
- Shame & Guilt: Feeling unworthy or “too much” for wanting more
- Confusion: Not sure what God is calling you to
- Overwhelm: Stuck in the gap between vision and daily reality
If we allow them to, these blockers will keep us from accomplishing anything. We will stay stuck forever.
Often, we struggle to pursue dreams because we fall into the comparison trap. We look at other people and see them trying to faithfully live their lives. They look like they’ve got it figured out! And so we try to copy their actions. Maybe if we just have the same dream, then I’ll be as happy and confident as they are. But, truly, this just means that we are chasing somebody else’s dream instead of what God wants us to do – with our unique calling, gifting, and season.
I know I’ve fallen prey to this numerous times. Sometimes, I’ve looked at Instagram and the creators there and try to make my life match the farmhouse, tradwife aesthetic – not keeping in mind my current season and limitations. Other times, I’ve listened to podcasts, enjoyed what they’ve said, and tried to make my sound match theirs.
But, the best spot – the sweet spot – is when we bring our own voice to the table – because God has created you and you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
If we look through the stories of scripture, we can see people who were given dreams and were then equipped to live those dreams out. Joseph, Nehemiah, Esther – each one of these people was uniquely called and equipped to do the work of God.
The beautiful thing is that you are, too.
Dream Boldly: Identity → Calling → Values → Action
So how do we take this first step forward in the direction of our dreams?
Step 1. Base your Identity in Christ
Your dreams are not the foundation of your identity. Your current roles and responsibilities are not the foundation of your identity. Your identity is based on who you are in Christ. And who are we in Christ?
Accepted in Christ
- John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
- Ephesians 1:6 – “to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
- Romans 15:7 – “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
Secure in Christ
- Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
- Romans 8:38–39 – “For I am sure that neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Colossians 3:3 – “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
- Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Significant in Christ
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:20 – “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”
- Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
- 1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
Free & Forgiven in Christ
- Colossians 1:13–14 – “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
- Ephesians 1:7 – “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”
- Romans 6:6 – “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
Empowered in Christ
- Romans 8:37 – “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
- Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
- 2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
In short: In Christ, you are a child of God, forgiven, loved, secure, chosen, empowered, and sent with purpose.
Your worth isn’t based on your achievements. It is based on who you are in Christ.
Without knowing your identity, your dreams will be rooted in fear or performance. You will spend your life chasing the next high, the next milestone, the next accolade. Then, you’ll look back and think: Vanity, Vanity. It is all vanity.
So here’s the question: If you stripped away titles and to-do lists, who are you?
Ground your identity in Christ.
Step 2. Embrace Your Calling.
What is your calling?
This was a question that was ever-present in my mind during my teens and early twenties. I prayed and prayed about what I should do for a career, where I should live, and everything else that comes with those big questions that dominate our early years.
Questions of calling always come with the weight of feeling like you could potentially step outside God’s calling.
But, truly, I think that misses the point.
Calling is broader than a single role or job. It’s about how you uniquely reflect God’s character and serve others.
What does this mean?
Your calling can have seasons. Did I step outside God’s calling when I was teaching, because I’m no longer teaching now? No, I don’t think so. It was just a calling for a season, and now I am walking in a new and different season.
So, how do we figure out our calling? Look at where your gifts, burdens, and opportunities intersect. Generally, this will show you the area of life where you can serve God well in the season of life you are in.
What does this mean? If you have a gift for teaching, a ‘burden’ for seeing children grow stronger in their walk with God, and the opportunity of a Sunday School class without a teacher, your calling in this season could be becoming the children’s Sunday School teacher. (And you can check out the new Kingdom Way curriculum in the shop to help you lead your class. Find Unit 1 here.)
When we overcomplicate our calling, we often neglect to ever walk forward in action.
Step 3: Filter Your Planning through Your Values
A Life We Love is created in alignment with our values. Our values act as the decision filter for saying yes or no.
If a dream doesn’t align with your values, it will eventually drain you. The Home Fires Podcast recently did an episode on the perverse desire. Basically, this is a desire for two opposite things. For instance, if you want to have children, you can’t also have a desire to have a body that looks like it did before children. That’s a perverse desire – it’s diametrically opposed to one another.
When we rightly order our desires, we are able to determine what is most important in our lives. We are able to figure out what to say yes to, and the converse as well: What do we need to say no to?
Our values should be the filter for our lives.
Step 4: Step Forward with Small Actions
When we align our lives with our identity, calling, and values, we can move forward to action without shame.
When I opened up that Google doc to plan out my blog years ago, I didn’t have a roadmap. So, other than a few thoughts about titles and taglines – my blog stayed in the doc.
We don’t want to leave our dreams in the doc. There’s a post trend going around that talks about when an idea, dream, or event ‘finally leaves the group chat.’ We want our dreams to leave the ‘planner’ and become a reality.
So, we need to take one small step we can do today without overwhelming ourselves.
There’s no shame in slow progress. One step today, another tomorrow, and another the next day will amount to more than you can ever know.
Wendell Berry, the author, wrote that we want our dreams to grow like trees, not wildfires.
Slow, steady growth with faithfulness is much better than speed that ultimately leads to collapse.
Break your vision into small, doable steps so that you can start stepping forward.
You can read about some of these small steps in this post here. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Start with one actionable habit that you can do daily.
- Pray frequently about what you are doing.
- Share about what you are doing with others – even if it’s scary.
- Journal about your dreams, goals, and progress.
- Don’t be afraid to pivot when you need to.
If you are looking for a way to set goals and reach them, check out our free Faithful 12 planner. This will help you jumpstart your dreams by setting a 12-week goal, breaking it into actionable habits, and walking forward with confidence. The Cultivate Workbook goes even deeper in this process. You can find both in the shop.
Vision to Action Without Shame
Let’s move from vision to action without shame. Your dream doesn’t have to launch at full scale on Day 1. Start small. Doing it imperfectly is better than not doing anything at all.
Here’s a simple 3-step challenge for you:
- Write down one dream
- Circle the why that aligns with your identity & values
- Pick one action to take in the next 24 hours
Take One Small Step to Dream Boldly and Live Faithfully
If you’ve ever wished you could take what we just talked about and put it into a step-by-step, guided process, the ‘Building a More Beautiful Life’ workbook is for you. It’s where dreaming meets doing—without the shame or hustle.
In this workbook, you’ll clarify your calling, values, and vision and determine one small step to move forward in action. Each day includes a devotional to ground your dreaming in your identity in Christ.
Build a More Beautiful Life | Faith and Family Devotional Workbook – 5-Day Christian PDF to Align Faith, Family, and Work
$4.99
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Your dreams are not random – they are planted for a purpose.
Let’s take one small, faithful step today in the direction of your dreams.
If you want to do this, grab our 5-day devotional – Build a More Beautiful Life to help you align your faith, work, and family.
You can also share this episode with a friend who’s wrestling with a dream.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and blog to never miss an episode and get grace-filled ideas each week. You can also follow along on Instagram and Facebook for more vision-to-action encouragement.
Until next week, keep creating a life you love and cultivating your heart for God.
Visit A More Beautiful Life Collective Shop for bible studies, planners, and other resources.
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