Meet Jill Roman Lord
Jill Roman Lord is an award-winning author and a nurse anesthetist. She won her first writing award in first grade and has written ever since. Her many children’s books include If Jesus Lived Inside My Heart, One Night in Bethlehem, and God Made You Just Right. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and enjoys running with her golden retriever, golfing with her husband and son, sipping coffee with her girls, and traveling.
Where did you get the idea to write Dream Big, My Precious One?
I’m a mom and I remember when our kids were young, I wondered what their passions and talents might be? What might they become one day? How would God use them in His amazing World? Those thoughts formulated the idea for this book.
In your book, we see children dreaming about becoming painters, dancers, doctors, and more. What did you want to be when you were younger?
I loved elephants as a child. I mean, I’d never actually touched one, but thought they were the best animals ever! Naturally, I wanted to become an elephant trainer. Thankfully that dream morphed throughout the years to wanting to be a gymnast in the Olympics (I took gymnastics for maybe 6 months), then an architect, then a pediatrician. All those dreams changed, as well.
What other big dreams did you have as a child? Are there any dreams you are still pursuing?
When I finally decided to become a nurse, I dreamed of also writing children’s books and bringing them to the hospital to share with the children there. Now I am a Nurse Anesthetist and I absolutely love bringing my books to our children’s hospital to share with the children. Other dreams I’m still pursuing are writing children’s movie screenplays. I’d love for my stories to be produced as fun, encouraging, and uplifting children’s movies. I’ve written two, so far, but they still need a lot of work. Oh, and I’d love to learn to play the harp.
Why is it important to encourage children to dream?
God has plans for His children and places these in their hearts, sometimes at incredibly early ages. They are beautiful dreams to touch other people’s lives and make this a better world. If children can grab hold of these dreams and trust God to help them achieve them, then amazing things can happen. Our minds can’t even comprehend what He knows we can accomplish, with His help. We may get an idea that seems crazy, then stop because it seems impossible. But what if we trusted God to help us achieve it? Wouldn’t that be awesome to see so many dreams achieved? How many lives might be touched and improved if children learned to pursue their God-given dreams, especially at early ages?
It’s all too easy to lose sight of the dreams we had as a child. What advice or encouragement do you have to help kids hold on to and keep pursuing their dreams?
Dreams may seem crazy, and it’s true that some dreams may not be achieved (like my fleeting elephant trainer idea), but trust God to help you pursue those dreams worth pursuing. If a dream still gnaws at you and it’s hard to let it go, pray about it. Trust God and go for it with everything you have! Don’t hold back. Do what needs to be done. Get the schooling, education, and experience you need. Surround yourself with people who can help you. Put forth 100% effort. You don’t ever want to look back and wonder, “what if I had actually tried to pursue it?” Go for it. If your dream changes, then adapt to the change. But don’t give up.
Is this book just for young children? Who else might like it?
I think this book would be great for those in life’s transitions, like those graduating from elementary school, middle school, high school, and even college. I hope it would serve as encouragement for anyone struggling to find direction in their lives, to do the next thing, to take that next step, whatever that might be. It would be great for those who feel they have fallen short of reaching their dreams, to not give up, but keep dreaming, keep praying, and trusting God for the next dream. Dreams don’t stop once you grow up. Dreams keep coming and evolving. God can use us at any age and all ages.
At the end of your book, readers see a verse from 1 Chronicles 28:20. What does that verse say? Do you have any other favorite Scriptures that encourage readers to have faith and not fear the future?
This verse is where king David was sharing his dream of building a temple with his son, Solomon. God told David this dream was not his to pursue, but Solomon’s. It was God’s plan for Solomon to build the temple and this may have seemed daunting when David handed him the blueprints and supplies he’d need. David told Solomon to essentially trust the Lord and get to work. The Lord expects us to act on our dreams, not merely dream about them. We need to get to work and make them happen. David also included a sweet reminder that the Lord would be with him through the completion of the dream. Awesome!
Another scripture verse I love is Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God does indeed have plans for us. I find that so comforting!
We don’t have to navigate our future on our own.
Where can we find more about you?
My website and blog: jillromanlord.com
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