Sometimes God Gives Us More Than One Dream

Author Steve R. Hartwig pauses in León's central plaza, reflecting on how God expanded his plans far beyond what he originally imagined when moving to Nicaragua.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. 📖 Ephesians 3:20

When I moved to Nicaragua, I came with a simple dream.

I wanted to enjoy retirement in a place with a warm climate, a lower cost of living, and a different culture from the one I had always known.

That was enough.

I wasn't looking for a new career.

I wasn't planning to write books.

I certainly wasn't imagining that one day I would become an author.

At the time, I was simply looking for a place to call home.

Looking back now, I can see that God had plans that stretched far beyond my own.

The dream I carried with me was real.

But it wasn't the whole story.

Over time, new opportunities appeared.

Some arrived through friendships.

Some through challenges.

Some through experiences I never could have anticipated.

What began as a retirement adventure eventually became something much more.

I discovered a love for writing.

Stories began to take shape.

One book led to another.

Then another.

Before long, I found myself doing something I had never once imagined for my future.

I had become an author.

One of the things I've learned is that God often gives us a dream that is large enough to take the first step, but not so large that we can see the entire journey.

If we could see everything ahead, we might become overwhelmed.

Instead, He reveals the path one step at a time.

What we think is the destination often turns out to be the beginning of something else.

That doesn't mean every dream changes.

But sometimes God takes a good dream and expands it into something greater than we imagined.

Not because our original dream was wrong.

But because His plans are bigger than our perspective.

I am grateful for the dream that brought me to Nicaragua.

But I am equally grateful for the dreams that appeared after I arrived.

The friendships.

The stories.

The books.

The opportunities to encourage others through writing.

None of those were part of my original plan.

Yet each has become a blessing.

Perhaps you can see something similar in your own life.

Maybe there was a goal, a decision, or a dream that started you on a particular path.

And maybe, along the way, God opened doors you never expected.

Sometimes He gives us exactly what we ask for.

And sometimes He gives us even more.

The first dream may be what starts the journey.

But it isn't always the last dream He has in store for us.

👉 Explore the books here: https://yourwebsite.com/books

Read this post in Spanish here: https://www.steverhartwigauthor.com/blog-espanol