Vivian Maier was born in New York City. She lived a relatively long life before passing away at the age of 83. Up until 2007 she was known as little more than a peculiar woman who worked as a nanny and always wore a camera around her neck. A box of negatives that belonged to her was purchased at an auction by a man named John Maloof. When he began going through all of the negatives and subsequent boxes of hers that he purchased, he found that she was an incredibly talented photographer. Yet, she had hundreds of rolls of undeveloped film and negatives. Don’t you wonder why? Perhaps she had no idea how talented she really was, maybe she took photos simply for the joy of capturing scenes of everyday people living everyday lives.
IT MAKES ME WONDER...WHAT SORT OF DREAMS AND TALENTS HAVE YOU LEFT UNDEVELOPED?
I am a dreamer, and I firmly believe that God places dreams in every single one of us. The "size" of your dream is of little importance; what matters most is what you do with that dream. God places the dream in us and will give us all we need to achieve that dream. The only uncertain thing between the birth of the dream and the dream coming to fruition is our choice to do the work it’ll take or to remain sedentary.
Why wouldn't we want to jump with both feet into a big dream that God has placed in us? Fear. Fear that we won't be able to accomplish the dream. But God’s Word promises to give us everything we need for life and godliness, because He has called us, and He has promises He’s made that He intends to fulfill (2 Peter 1:3-4). I think of it like an airport runway at night. It is lit up like a huge Christmas tree so there is no mistaking where the plane should land. That is how God will lead us if we ask for His guidance and His leading.
DO YOU EVER FEAR THAT PEOPLE WON'T LIKE YOUR DREAMS AND THEREFORE WON'T CHEER YOU ON ALONG THE WAY?
This is a hard one, and I totally get it! As a musician, my talents and gifts from God are usually used in front of people. Some people like my gifts, and some don’t. There is no shortage of people who are unafraid to put their not so nice opinions on the “prayer request” section of a bulletin and shove it in the offering box. Sadly the naysayers are usually louder than the cheering squad. I learned a long time ago that you can’t please everyone, and guess what, that’s OK! Even Jesus, who saved the entire world from hell was despised and rejected by even His closest friends (Isaiah 53:3). My point is we are not out to please people; we are out to achieve whatever it is God has set out in front of us. That is our responsibility. Galatians 1:10 (NLT) says, “I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.” The fact that God celebrates our little and not so little victories should spur us on to realize the dream He has planted in us.
I wonder if you have any dreams that have been left undeveloped, much like Vivian Maier’s negatives and film rolls. By the way, since her passing, Vivian Maier’s work has become quite popular and well known. How sad that it wasn’t until she passed away that her work was released to the world. Remember I said it’s not about the size of your dream; it’s about what you do with it. If you can’t think of any dreams, you haven’t thought hard enough. And don’t forget that God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above anything you could ever think to ask for! (Ephesians 3:20)