Daring to Believe

Just the other day I was eating lunch with my children and all of a sudden one of them asked me, “Mommy, what’s your dream?” Of course this took me by surprise. That’s a weird, deep question to be asking. I’m accustomed to silliness at the table and at least once having to remind them, “No potty-talk!” I was unprepared for this what’s-my-dream-stuff.  I just kind of shrugged it off and said, “I don’t really have a dream, baby.” But, then she persisted...”Mommy, what’s your dream?” Goodness, she’s not going to accept a non-answer.  I just thought a minute and said, “I’m living my dream.” She looked at me and smiled, pacified for the moment (and I wiped the sweat from my brow in relief).

 

Suddenly, she started in on her dream. To say she loves to read American Girl books is somewhat of an understatement. She literally gets up in the morning and goes straight to get one of them, even though she has read it before a zillion times. Her dream, she says, is to have an American Girl series patterned after her life! Wow!! Now, there’s a good dream.

It was at this point that I kind of started getting it.

Next, my four year old piped up. Little blondie, who loves rainbows and colors just as much as her big sister loves to read says, “I want to build my own rainbow rollercoaster that ends in a cloud and goes over a big castle just like the one at Disney World.” 

As my kids would say, now I “super-duper” got it and it made sense. The lightbulb came on. WHAT’S MY DREAM???? What is it that might be so impossible that I only let myself “go there” every now and then? Or, to put it in other words, what is my deep heart’s desire? What am I hoping for (but possibly scared to really ask God for)?

 I sat there, GETTING it, and my big girl knew it.  Oh, please, please, don’t…………

"Mommy, tell me your dream." 

Man! She did it. She asked me again! I was already fighting back the tears. 

“I DO have one of those dreams, but I can’t tell you about it right now.” She saw that I was crying and that it obviously meant something to me, so she matter-of-factly went on about her business and that was the end of it…for her. 

For me, it has been a completely different story.

Please don’t think I am being flippant when I say this, but it’s the only way I know to convey my feelings. Here it goes: In that moment, I simply wanted to look up at God and say, “REALLY??!?! Again?!?!” in a very sarcastic tone. Why? Well, because He is up to something, that’s why and He’s trying to get me to believe Him for MORE.

How do I know this? Simply because everywhere I go and every time I turn around, someone says something or does something that completely pertains to this DREAM of mine. And each time it happens, it’s like He is fanning the flame of my desire and stirring up hope. He is even using my own daughters…both of them…in different things they say. Seriously, He is up to something!!! And as much as I LOVE that He is so detailed and I harp on life being a grand adventure when Jesus Christ is LORD of your life, I have to be frank… believing for a hope that is so dear to me is HARD WORK! It’s difficult. And, you must understand, my dream (in my mind) is HUGE.

There is a certain verse the Lord “high-lighted” in my life back in 2009. That verse is Ephesians 3: 20-21. I love how the “Amplified Version” explains it...

Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]--To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).

Around the time God brought this verse up in my life, I was believing Him to answer my “big” dream: the dream of having just one more child. I thought the situation was impossible. But, of course “impossible” is not even in God’s vocabulary.  Seriously, as soon as He removed a certain hinderance (for lack of a better word), I got pregnant about as fast as you can blink (okay, maybe not that fast, but you know what I’m saying).  I was AMAZED and astounded at how fast He moved! And, you know what, I guess I thought that was it! I was satisfied that He had done moooore than I could have dreamed.  It sounds silly, but our baby is a miracle and now I have 3 wonderful little miracle-princesses and feel so immensely blessed and life is good and…….. then…...

THAT SAME VERSE showed up again! It came up first at a conference I went to with my husband. It came up again at my women’s Bible study during the latter part of last year. Then this month, it came up AGAIN in our study. Our speaker (Priscilla Shirer - through DVD), picked this verse apart and basically talked about how God able (He is oh-so-able!) to go “way past” whatever our seemingly impossible dreams may be. He goes “beyond” whatever you think is already beyond your wildest imagination. So I’m basically getting the idea that God is saying to me, “You thought that was something, your last dream. Baby girl, I see that other NEW dream that is brewing. I know the desires of your heart; I place them there. I know in your eyes it is impossible. But, I’m about to show you that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE with me. I am the God who does exceedingly immeasurably beyond.” Yep, that’s what I think He is saying to me...and it is scaring the pants off of me, in the best way possible!!!

So, now all I can do is wait expectantly. In His time and His own way, He IS going to make my dream a reality. I just know it. Why? Because whenever I get content with Him and think He’s done it all, He takes great pleasure in blowing my wimpy expectations out of the water. So I’m just going to sit back and let Him make a spectacle of Himself (please do, Lord!). TO HIM BE THE GLORY!!! Y’all just stay tuned and wait with me. When this dream becomes a reality, I’ll post a hallelujah blog!!

 

Here are just a few more verses on HOPE:

But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. Psalm 71:14

But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure. Romans 8:25


For His glory,

    

My Giant Grandma

It seems like just the other day when I sat up on the kitchen counter at my Grandma Lee's house, as proud as I could be that she was letting me whip the mashed potatoes with the hand-held electric mixer. She would always cook the same meal when she knew I'd be coming...fried chicken legs, homemade mashed potatoes, and creamed corn because it was my favorite. She did it out of pure love for me, and I could taste it!

My most vivid childhood memories took place in her tiny white house with the hydrangea bushes in front. It was a little house that held a giant of a woman, that's for sure! She was giant not in her stature, but in her character and heart - - in the things that matter most.

I'll never understand how Grandma did it, but she would prepare gigantic meals in her small galley kitchen. She would cook a few different meats and enough veggies to feed an army! Grandma would always have each grandchild's favorite food placed right near where she knew they would sit. And just as you were sure you had eaten way too much, she'd say, "Now, who's ready for dessert?!" We'd all leave the table feeling like we were ready to pop! Ah, mealtimes were the best at Grandma's house! She slaved for hours in her kitchen, but I never once heard her complain.

On cold nights when I stayed over at G-ma's (as we called her sometimes), she would go in the bedroom and turn on the electric blanket so that it would be toasty warm when we were ready to hop in the bed. I loved that so much! My Granddaddy Lee had gone to be with Jesus when I was only four years old, but even before he passed, he was kicked out of his own bed when I came to stay. I remember those sweet nights in G-ma's bed because she would talk for as long as I wanted to talk. "Aren't you sleepy?" she would ask. "No, not yet"...and I'd keep on talking and she would, too. I could ask Grandma about anything, or tell her about anything, and she never once made me feel silly. She would listen all night and spill out all of her wisdom, and in turn, I grew in wisdom as well.

At some point, if the weather was even remotely comfortable, whoever was at Grandma's house would end up on her back porch. I can still hear her wooden screen door creaking and slamming behind us as we would walk outside. Everyone would pull out a folding chair (the metal frame kind with the webbing on it) and soon start jibber-jabberin' about all the happenings and goings on of our small southern town. Every once in a while there might be a lull in the conversation, especially when the church bells started ringing out a hymn. We'd listen, maybe even hum along a bit, and then we would go right back to talkin'. My goodness, I would give just about anything to get to sit out on that back porch with my Grandma Lee just one more time! Oh, the stories we would tell and the laughs we would have.

Whenever we used to talk about my Granddaddy, Grandma would always get teary-eyed and she would stare off a little, partly reminiscing, partly trying to keep her composure. Then, she would always, always say, "You know, you never get over missin' somebody." Truth indeed. Eight years have passed since my sweet grandmother went to be with the Lord, and I still miss her to pieces. I often wonder what she would think of my three little girls, and then I wonder what they would think of her. I have a feeling they would be mutually fond of each another!

Looking back, I know G-ma taught me many things, but I think the few characteristics that stick out the most are: love of God, self-sacrifice, unconditional love, humility, family pride, the art of conversation, and the power of togetherness. My grandmother was never rushed and never in a hurry. She would let me plunder in her purse all during church if I wanted. She would grab a jar, take me outside, and let me chase "lightning bugs" until the sun went down. She would take me on long walks near her house. She spent hours with me, all because of love.

You see, when I talk about leaving a legacy, it's my Grandma Lee that comes to mind the most. She left an indelible mark on my life, the kind that is seared so deep, oceans of time could not remove it. She's proof to me that there's untold power in the stories we leave behind, the stories of our lives that will be told for generations to come. It's up to us to slow down, take a look around us, and not just let the moments pass us by, because while we're not lookin'...

 those moments become our legacy!

Stinky Feet

Just the other day...I sat again, with my Bible open and coffee in hand, reading the book of John. Have you ever read the Bible and literally had words jump off the page at you? That's how it has been for me lately...so fresh, so deep, so life-giving. I was reading about how Jesus got up from the Passover feast that He was enjoying with the disciples, how he put a towel around His waist, and then proceeded to wash and then dry the disciples feet. Again, my imagination kicked in...imagining GOD washing my feet. Not just washing them, but then taking the time to dry them with the towel around His waist. What love...breathtaking...and amazingly humbling. Seriously, if you're ever around me, just feel free to keep your feet to yourself, please:) Who wants to touch another person's nasty feet?! Not me!! And in those days, they had dusty roads and wore sandals. Imagine the filth!!! GROSS. But here is the God of the universe bowing before His precious creation to teach them a lesson...and we dare not miss this lesson. It's a biggie!!! Read it for yourself:

¹²When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. ¹³"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.


You should wash one another's feet. I did it for you as an example, now you do it also. Ah...but what does that really look like? What does that really mean? Do we carry around a basin and towel everywhere we go? I'm thinkin' that's not what He was getting at...and bare with me because I am certainly not a theologian (remember, I'm on a journey, learning and growing day-by-day)...but I think He simply means that we are to care for each other...to truly care and not just give lip-service. We are to go out of our way to serve another person in their time of need, whether it be during a difficult time or in the everyday business (and busyness!) of life. And, we are to do this without regard for ourselves, without thinking about the filth that might get on us, or about the difficulty or the bind it might put us in. We are to serve in whatever way we can, without thinking of what we might get in return, but giving out of the wellspring of love that Christ has placed in our hearts if we have decided to be one of his followers. Even further than that, I think we are to observe others and find out what would bless them the most. Practically speaking, it would be that area that the other person probably would never-in-a-million-years ask you to do. It might look something like, entering a busy, stressed-out mother's house (can I get a witness?!) and mopping her floor or doing her dishes. Maybe it would be taking bags full of groceries to your friend whose mate just lost his/her job, or possibly paying for a month's worth of prescriptions for your parents/grandparents who are on a fixed income. What about choosing to bless your mate by joining him/her in completing a really hard task, or saying no to something "good" so that you can hang out with your child who is struggling in an area? In our modern day, washing one another's feet means that we are humbling ourselves before one another in service and being Christ's hands extended in a world where most people are just too busy to care...in a world that is mired down with dust and filth...in a world that is literally ACHING and LONGING for the love that only Christ can give. It's more than giving lip-service to your changed life in Christ, but demonstrating that he has made you a new creation by going against the flow of "it's all about me". I have heard it said that Christ is on trial everyday in this world. I am coming to understand more and more that this world will continue to justify it's rejection of him unless we, as Christians, as Christ-followers, as disciples, truly start to care for each other ... for those who are "in the family" and for those who aren't yet followers. I'll step off of my soap box here so that you can read the truth from the Master himself.

At the end of Chapter 13, Jesus tells the disciples this:

³⁴ "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus also said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

In the end, it's alllllll about him! It is ALL about pointing people to God and making them wonder, "Why would he or she do such a thing for me? Why does he or she care?!" The conclusion they are to reach is, "It's because he/she is a Christian...he/she truly loves God...THAT'S why." Remember, whatever you do, do all for the GLORY OF GOD!!

Now, please quit reading and get out there! It's high time for you (and me!) to get busy washing somebody's stinky feet:) There's much work to do!

For His glory,