Never let your memories be bigger than your dreams. This quote, often attributed to American businessman and author Doug Ivester, strikes at the core of what it means to live a life of faith. If you’re clinging to the past, reliving your glory days in church or in life, you’re missing the point of the Gospel. Your memories, no matter how blessed, should never outshine your dreams.

God didn’t save you so you could sit comfortably reminiscing about what He’s done in the past. No! He saved you to be a vessel for His ongoing work, to dream bigger and aim higher. If your best spiritual days are behind you, it’s time to confront a harsh truth: you’re spiritually stagnant. And that’s not just disappointing—it’s a betrayal of the calling God has placed on your life. We’ve been saved from our sin, for an eternal future. There has to be a past, present, and future to our faith lives.

The Coffin of the Past

We love to get cozy with our memories, don’t we? Remembering those mountaintop experiences, the powerful moments when God moved in undeniable ways. But comfort can quickly become a coffin. When you prioritize your memories over your dreams, you’re choosing to live in a tomb of your own making, ignoring the fact that God is the God of the living, not the dead.

This isn’t about dismissing what God has done; it’s about recognizing that He’s not done yet! Your past should inspire you to press forward, not hold you back. If you’re stuck in yesterday, you’ll never be ready for what God wants to do in your life today, much less tomorrow. The past should ignite your faith, not extinguish it. If you’re not pushing forward with the dreams God has placed in your heart, you’re sliding backward.

We must be careful of small dreams—those tiny, comfortable aspirations that sound safe. They don’t stretch you, they don’t require much faith, and they don’t really demand that you rely on God. But that’s exactly what makes them dangerous. Small dreams breed complacency. They lull you into a false sense of security that has nothing to do with the bold, radical faith that Jesus calls us to live.

And even worse, small dreams are contagious. They spread through congregations like a virus, turning vibrant communities of faith into museums of past glory. But God didn’t call us to play it safe. He called us to step out of the boat, to walk on water, to move mountains. A life of small dreams isn’t really living by faith—it’s merely existing.

The Fear of Failure

Let’s face it: most of us are afraid of dreaming big dreams because we’re terrified of failure. We’d rather play it safe than risk the possibility of falling short. But playing it safe is the surest way to guarantee that you’ll never see the fullness of what God has in store for you. If you’re not willing to risk failure, you’re not really living by faith. If you can accomplish it without God’s intervention, then you’re not living in the wildness of a Jesus filled life.

Failure is not the enemy; it’s often the very thing God uses to shape us, to refine our character, and to draw us closer to Him. Every time you fail, God’s grace is there to pick you up, to teach you, to propel you closer to the dreams He’s given you. But if you’re too scared to dream big, you’ll never know the joy of seeing God move in ways that only He can move. Think of Peter walking on the water. If Peter did what Peter could do, he never would have gotten out of the boat. But seeing the bigger dream Jesus had for him, Peter was able to get out and stroll across the sea (until he stopped looking at Jesus and looked to comfort again instead).

If your dreams don’t require God’s intervention, they’re not big enough. If your goals don’t make you fall to your knees in prayer, begging God for guidance and strength, you’re not aiming high enough. We need to set goals that make people question our sanity, that force us to rely on God like never before. That’s where the miracles happen. That’s where faith comes alive.

Dream big, or don’t bother dreaming at all. Dream big, or resign yourself to a life of spiritual mediocrity, where your memories are your only source of comfort. Dream big, because God has promised to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

So, what’s it going to be? Will you let your memories dictate your future, or will you dare to dream bigger than you ever have before? The choice is yours, but be warned: choosing to live a life where your memories outshine your dreams is choosing to settle for less than what God has planned for you.

We need to wake up. Dream big. Step out in faith. And don’t stop until our memories are nothing but stepping stones to something far greater that God is doing in our lives.