Dear Emma:

What an incredible month it has been. I can’t even begin to tell you how special it was for me to record A Million Dreams with you. Without a doubt, it is truly a moment that I will treasure forever, and I hope you will too. However, beyond the awesome experience of it all, my greatest hope is that the underlying message of the song to never give up on your dreams will always blaze brightly within your heart. The truth is, lovey–we all start out with dreams in our hearts, but then as we get older sometimes we let our fears, our problems, our insecurities, and even just the busyness of life stand in the way to accomplishing our dreams. So, I just want to cheer you on to never lose sight of the dreams God has placed within you. He has amazing plans for you, and I can’t wait to watch them unfold.

In order to live out your dreams, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, you need to be aware that not everyone is going to support you and cheer you on. I know that sounds kind of harsh and negative, but it’s the truth. Believe it or not, there are some people who make it their mission to shoot down the hopes and dreams of others and give every reason why it will never work. It’s like they themselves don’t dare to dream, so they don’t want anyone else to either. I remember when I first started singing there were people who thought it would be helpful to tell me that singers were a dime a dozen and it would never pay the bills and I would need to find something more realistic. Now, I’m sure in their hearts they meant well and that they were just trying to give wise counsel and spare me disappointment. However, what they didn’t understand was that God had breathed the dreams into my heart, and whenever He leads us He will provide…no matter how unrealistic it seems. At that point, I had a choice to make: I could either let other people determine my future by me allowing them to affect what I knew God was calling me to do or I could learn to tune out the negativity and focus exclusively on what God thought and the dreams He had for my life. Through that whole experience, I learned that sometimes we have to determine to prove the naysayers wrong, not because of who we are, but because of who God is. By the way, some of the very people who tried to talk me out of my dreams so long ago are some of the people who now say, “Paula, we are so proud of you and just knew you could do it.” Funny how that works, huh? All I can say is that I am so glad God believed in me even when others didn’t and that He chose to use me regardless of the odds. And He will do the same in your life too, sweet girl. Always seek His will, and He will lead you into the dreams and plans He has for you.

Another thing to remember is that most things in life are not handed to us. In order to reach our dreams, we must be willing to work hard and give it our all. When I think back to when your dad and I were first married, our first summer together we did 60 concerts literally all over the map. There were some weekends that had 5 concerts in 5 different locations, but we hardly knew we were even tired because we were having so much fun living out the dreams God had given us. At the same time, whenever we were not on the road, we were cleaning your dad’s rental properties, making repairs, collecting rent, etc…  Once again, we worked hard, but we would do it all again because it helped us reach the dreams your dad had of investing in real estate. I share this with you to show you that if you will determine even now to put the time, effort, and determination into your dreams, the sky is truly the limit. But you can’t hold back. You have to give it your all and be willing to do what it takes for the long haul to accomplish the dreams God has placed within your heart.

Having a plan is also important to reaching our dreams. I’m pretty sure that our family would never jump in a car and just start driving to California without using GPS on our phones or iPads or something to give us direction and guide us. Well, how much more important is it to have a plan and direction with our life. Now I know you are only 11, so I realize this is a little early. But I just want you to understand how setting goals can help you accomplish your dreams down the road, for when we take the time to write out our goals, it helps us stay focused and makes us more apt to carry out our dreams. For that very reason, your dad and I go out every January on our goals date. We always get someone to stay with you, and we go out to a nice restaurant and spend the evening looking at our goals. We start by looking at last year’s goals to see how we measured up. And then we look at the new year and set new goals for our marriage, our family, our ministry, our careers, and even for each of us individually. This is such a fun and helpful way to stay on top of our hopes and dreams. The great thing is I already see you setting goals for yourself and working hard towards them. Whether it’s doing well in school, helping out at home, or even doing your devotions each night, I have seen you stick with it and stay committed to your goals, and I couldn’t be prouder. Keep up the great work, lovey!

The last thing I want to share with you is this–there comes a time in life when we have to quit talking about it, quit dreaming about it, quit thinking about it, and simply DO IT! That idea that races around in your head, keeping you awake at night–just do it. That dream that makes your heart practically pound out of your chest at the mere thought of it–just do it! That crazy venture that you know will cause you to fall flat on your face unless God helps you–just do it. You will never know until you try. My prayer for you, my sweet girl, is that you don’t let anything hold you back from all that God has for you. Keep dreaming. Keep believing. Keep working. And always keep seeking God’s best for your life, and I know without a doubt He will blow you away with all that He has for you. Here’s the words to a song that I wrote years ago that I hope will always remind you to Dare To Dream.

There’s a dream that in you and a dream that’s in me.

A dream to make a difference and be all that we can be.

There’s a road that shines before us if we will only see.

That the power of God’s dreams can change our destiny.

 

Dare to dream. Dare to fly. Take a chance. Don’t let life pass you by.

There’s a world that’s waiting for you if you will only try.

Dare to Dream. Dare to fly.

 

There’s a choice that you have of who you want to be.

A choice to touch a soul and to leave a legacy.

But it takes courage to step out and strength to lead the way.

So put your fears aside and realize that’s why we’re here today.

 

Dare to dream. Dare to fly. Take a chance. Don’t let life pass you by.

There’s a world that’s waiting for you if you will only try.

Dare to Dream. Dare to fly.

 

 

Love you forever,

Mom