The emails have already starting rolling into my inbox. One proclaims, “Make 2023 your most productive year yet!” Another suggests I really should have started my annual planning by now.
I may have brought this on myself by subscribing to so many productivity newsletters, but it won’t be long before similar headlines are all over the web with tantalizing promises: “How to Finally Nab Your Dream Job in 2023,” “This Simple Trick Will Double Your Savings Next Year,” and “Here’s Your Gameplan for the Fittest Year of Your Life.”
Everything in our productivity-obsessed world urges us to dream big. But in his new book, Seth Lewis offers us a different goal: Dream Small.
He encourages us, as the subtitle says, with “the secret power of the ordinary Christian life.”
Everything in our productivity-obsessed world urges us to dream big. But in his new book, Seth Lewis offers us a different goal: Dream Small.
Small Dreams
It’s striking that Lewis’s alternative to the world’s narrative isn’t to stop dreaming. That’s not in our nature. God has given us time, energy, resources, talents, and passions—we have to do something with them. Instead of ceasing to dream, Christians should change their direction, dreaming small dreams.
Dream Small: The Secret Power of the Ordinary Christian Life
Seth Lewis
Dream Small: The Secret Power of the Ordinary Christian Life
Seth Lewis
We are all looking for significance and meaning in our lives. The world tells us that this comes from dreaming big, achieving personal success and making a big impact. But the Bible says that self-worth is found in knowing our Creator, and contentment is found in discovering his purpose for our lives.
This book reminds us that when we know Jesus, we are free from the world’s definition of success. We can listen to God’s word and direct our dreams towards the things that he says matter most, even if they are small and unimpressive in the world’s eyes.
By small dreams, Lewis is referring to those that aren’t considered impressive in the eyes of the world. He means following the two greatest commandments given by our Lord: to love him and to love others (Matt. 22:36–40). It’s not flashy or exciting by earthly standards. And yet it’s the path to greatest reward:
The work you put into small dreams may go unnoticed by the world around you. You may not get attention or applause for it. But when the finish line of life comes, the hard work you put into loving God and others now will pay off, more than you or anyone around you today can imagine. (94)
When you’re trudging through a gnarly work task at 2 p.m. on a Friday and considering faking a headache so you can leave early, look to the reward. When your toddler has strewn the contents of kitchen cupboards all over the floor and your newborn is screaming and you want to yell at your husband, look to the reward. Stay faithful and don’t despise small dreams.
Lewis’s alternative to the world’s narrative isn’t to stop dreaming.
Small People
Lewis keeps reminding us that people matter more than goals: “Shared joy is deeper than lonely success; friendship is happier than wealth; and people are more precious than anything on Earth.” (67)
Living small dreams means using whatever blessings God has given us not to serve our own ambition but to serve people—everyone from our closest family members to the poor and needy in our communities. Even if by God’s grace we do achieve big dreams that are impressive to the world, we must put those blessings in service of small dreams.
In the pattern of our Saviour, we look at the people around us and seek to joyfully serve them instead of expecting or demanding that they serve us (Phil. 2:1–8). The world tells us to climb the ladder of success to see what rewards are up there. But what if we used our high vantage point to see and meet others’ needs?
What if we used our high vantage point to see and meet others’ needs?
Lewis illustrates this with the stories of his grandfather and great-grandfather. The former worked his way up the ranks at his company, becoming highly successful and globally influential. The latter refused promotions to stay at the lowest level because he wanted to personally care for the lowly and vulnerable. You’d expect that Lewis might condemn his grandfather’s choices. But while worldly success can be dangerous, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re not obeying God. Both those men loved the Lord and faithfully followed him. Both wanted to serve others with everything God had given them. Both pursued small dreams and loved small people. By including these two stories, Lewis shows what it look like for us to prioritise God and others, whatever our life or work looks like.
Big God
The only way we’ll value small dreams and small people—when what the world offers is glittering and tantalising—is by trusting in a big God. He alone can give us true freedom and joy.
When we know God’s love and his purpose for us, we’re freed from the need to create our own purpose in this life:
Instead of driving yourself to create a legacy for your own little name, you can discover that your own little name is already known, already loved, carefully created, and never forgotten by the king of heaven himself. (50)
And amid the unglamorous pursuit of small dreams, we find joy. The kind of lasting joy that getting a pay rise or publishing a book can never deliver. Because, Lewis explains, “no other dream can compare with being close to God himself.” (86) When we shape our dreams around him, we’re doing what we were made for.
As you reflect on the goals you set for this year, you might feel discouraged if you haven’t made much progress—the weight is still on, the bank account is still scant, the job is still mind-numbing. But look beyond the checkboxes and take heart. Instead of running endlessly on the treadmill, did you spend your year pouring out your energy to feed, clothe, and nurture young children? Were you generous with the little money you do have? Did you faithfully labour in your work even when it wasn’t exciting? Those things will matter more than worldly accolades on the final day.
And before you make plans for 2023, read Seth Lewis’s Dream Small. He’ll help you set your course to run hard after small dreams, serve small people, and draw near to our big God.
