Nine Ways to Reinvent the American Dream

Graduate from high school.

Go to college. Get your dream job.

Get married. Make money. Buy a house.

Get a dog. Buy a car. Have a kid. Raise the kid.

Send the kid to college.

Retire.

Die?

It's easy to get caught up in the “American Dream."

Even if –on paper—it seems kind of depressing.

For generations, Americans have measured their success based on standards that emphasize wealth, material possessions and power. But, beyond a fleeting comfortability and false sense of security, what do these standards really offer? Are they a source of peace? Do they bring authentic joy? Or are they simply idols we chase because it’s “the normal thing to do?”

We’re stuck in a cycle that promises depth and treasure. As a result, we spend most of our time, energy and money pursuing things that are completely unrelated to what satisfies our souls and propels us forward in obedience to God. And before we know it, we’re too tied down by our belongings and responsibilities to fully live out the point of our purpose here—to be an asset to His kingdom.

But here’s the good news (literally!): The God who spoke the world into existence is the same God who knit you together in your mothers’ womb –laying out every moment of your life before it began. He knew you intimately even then and although He saw your sin, self-righteousness and shortcomings, He still traded His life for yours.

Is this not the best thing ever?? It frees us from so much.

In His presence, our strivings cease. We let go of earthly demands and expectations.

We still the chaos and step away from the hustle.

Because somewhere deep in our hearts, we know that our proximity to Jesus isn’t based on our job title, wealth, social status or anything else.

What. A. God.

In each new season, I encourage you to sit down with a journal and sort through the details of your life so you’re able to recognize what your heart’s really after; where you’re really storing your treasure.

It’s difficult to be part of a society and not adopt its expectation and instruction. We do so subconsciously, and God knows this.

So, how do we move forward when our ~ already established ~ lives are buried deep within the confines of the American Dream?

How do we change our permanent perspective from earthly to eternal?

1. Swap out the soil. Look at your life. What do you value? What is your purpose here? If what matters to you most doesn’t have Jesus written all over it, you may have built your house on a weak foundation. But it’s not too late, friend! You can move! To be a faithful, trustworthy asset to His kingdom, we must build our lives on solid rock—Jesus and His teachings.

2. Trust there is more. God did not dream you up in His heart and create you in His hands just so you could be verified on Instagram or afford to send your kids to private school. These might be the realities we hope for, but God intends for us to hope BIGGER; to hope deeper. To hope in proximity to Him.

In John 10:10, Jesus declares He came to give us a “rich and satisfying life,” – but, He’s not talking about material wealth or temporal pleasure. He came so that we may experience life in Christ here and in heaven. The chance to know Him and spend eternity with Him. Everything else is like chasing the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14).

3. Listen for Him. I'm not suggesting the clouds will part and a coffee order will reign down upon you when you’re being indecisive in the Starbucks drive thru. Order what you want. And make it snappy. There are people behind you.

What I am suggesting, however, is that sometimes God uses the simplest situations –such as your time in the Starbucks line— to capture your attention and ultimately change your life. So, pay attention in the seemingly routine, uncomplicated areas of your life too. Moses was herding sheep. Job was hanging out with friends. Solomon was sleeping! Elijah was camping. Jonah was sitting alone… in a whale…

4. Give it all to God. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to “give all our worries and cares to the Lord.” Why? Because He cares about what we care about! To pray “unceasingly,” means we take our fears and failures to Him, but also our joy, gratitude, hope and everything in between. We often think that God doesn’t care about the lesser details of our lives. But as a father who deeply loves His children, He wants to be part of it all!

5. Practice grace and patience. His plans and timing are different from our own. And believe it or not, this is a good thing! His provision is endless. His protection is constant. And He points us in the right direction when He knows we’re ready. A season of waiting on Him is just a season of trusting in Him. He is working all things for our good while we rest, worship, prepare, etc.

6. Focus on His people. We’re usually too busy building a life to realize it’s the people we’re building it with that are most important. Siblings, spouses, best friends, roommates, coworkers, whoever your people are in this season –love them well, pray with them often, and walk them towards Jesus like it’s the whole point of your purpose here (because it might be!!).

7. Live in the word. Yesterday, I heard a woman talking about how busy her life seems. Between working full time and having young kids, she feels like she’s always in a rush; like there “aren’t enough hours in the day.” Not even for her closest friends. I wondered if Jesus was included in that category.

Because that’s what happens to us. We become so preoccupied with secular responsibilities that we fail to make time for what really matters—Jesus’ people and Jesus Himself. There’s too much noise in our lives. Too many “urgent,” more pressing things to do than sit down at His feet and study His word.

Pastors often stress the importance of “getting alone with God,” even for five minutes if that's all the time "you have.” Do they mean the “leftover” five minutes? Because that’s often what it becomes. The time we spend with Jesus in His word and at His feet should be what everything else is scheduled around. Instead, we build our schedule and fit Him in when and if we can.

What a blessing it is to live on this side of history and have access to THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD. It’s how we draw nearer to Him. It’s how we’re able to experience life through the lens of love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness… It’s how we gauge our expectations and restore our priorities.

8. Use each resource responsibly. A few years ago, my husband put me on a budget and still to this day, I keep an organized record of what we spend. It holds us accountable when we’re able to see exactly where our money is going. This matters because the money isn’t really ours in the first place—it belongs to God. As does every blessing we receive this side of eternity (James 1:17). And, our time here isn’t about collecting resources anyway, it’s about using our resources to collect people (Matthew 4:19).

You may feel like you earned the resources yourself, but in reality, God provided everything required to earn them in the first place –ability, creativity, intelligence, motivation, resources, etc. In John 15, Jesus teaches that apart from Him, we can do nothing; and He isn’t only talking about miracle work, He’s literally telling us that without Him, we can do no thing.

9. Walk alongside (for the long run).We can donate money, cook meals and say prayers, but if we only help until our finances and comfortability tell us otherwise, are we really acting as Jesus’ hands and feet? Our culture’s response to someone’s pain, sickness, longsuffering, etc., is often not what God intended it to be. We show up, but we don’t stay long. We have more important things to do; our own problems to deal with. What if God treated us this way?