The Dream Theme...

Have you ever had a word just stick in your head and you couldn't shake it? You run across it all the time, in multiple contexts, and it just forces you to confront the word before you constantly? I can't tell you how many times I've encountered the word "dream" lately. Some quotes I keep wandering across...

"God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame." -Elizabeth Barrett Browing (my favorite!!)

"You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling." -Inception

"If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough." -Anonymous

And now, tonight...I just read one of the coolest verses I've read in a long time.
Ephesians 3:20 (the Message)

^{20 "}God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."

How many times do we throw around the phrase "beyond my wildest dreams"? There was even a whole song about it in the musical I just did last weekend. Yet, do we stop and think about the implications of that? We all have dreams. Every one of us. Dreams are what motivate us and give us hope each day to keep moving forward. Some dreams we tell people all about, and other dreams we hold close to our heart, but we all have dreams...probably lots of dreams. What just blew my mind today was thinking about how big my dreams already are- and God's dreams for me are BIGGER! What?? And what's even more mind-blowing is that He has a perfect plan for accomplishing that dream, the one I can't even imagine yet.

Here's the key, and this is what I just realized with the verse I read today...the plan is all about us listening to his Spirit. When we are sensitive to what He wants for our lives, His big dreams actually become our dreams, and He gives us the little steps we need to take to walk toward His plan for our lives. That sounds so simple. Just listen to Him. Be obedient when he says to go...or stay...or whatever He tells you to do. But I guess what has kept jingling around in my brain is the OTHER theme in those quotes- the part about fear. Fear of big dreams. And fear of dreams coming true. And fear of dreams NOT coming true. So then this other giant issue comes into play...trust. I don't fear change if I initiate it...a new job or a new house or any other scenario in which I feel like I'm holding all the cards. That means I'm trying to accomplish MY dreams, and I feel like I have some control over what happens. But it seems that the really scary, ground-shaking changes for me are sometimes the ones God initiates- the ones that are a means toward HIS dreams for me. And why on earth would that scare me? Because it means I'm NOT in control. Yet, even now as I sit here and keep pondering my dreams...and God's dreams...He gently and graciously reminds me that He is for me, He is faithful, and He is always worthy of my trust, especially when I feel afraid. Psalm 56:3 (ESV) says "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." I put my trust in His dreams for me, not my own, and have no reason to be afraid.

What a gift when He gently works within us to show us the obvious! No need to run away...He found me and loves me and has bigger dreams for me than I can ever imagine. I can't wait to see how he "puts my dreams to shame"!

Love God. Love People.

It's a new year. The requisite resolutions have been made, the accidentally writing last year's date on everything has commenced, and life goes on just like it did way back in 2012 (you know, 2 days ago). And here lies my blog, untouched for months and months, waiting for some words to flow again.

As the new year approached, I determined that this year I wasn't going to make a resolution I couldn't (or wouldn't) keep, but would rather resolve to keep working at a way of life I've tried to strive for more in recent years: Love God, and love people. Sometimes (often!) that's easier said than done. Already in just a couple of days I've struggled to love people the way I should. And yet there are other people it would be easier to not love as much as I do. Either way, we are called to love. Love God, and love people. Simple, yet so complex. So one of my "resolutions" this year, if you will, is to reflect each day on a different example of love or kindness I was able to witness, or maybe demonstrate, or even an opportunity that I neglected to act on (sometimes those are the biggest lessons!). Because the only way to become more like Christ is to love like He did, and sometimes that means deliberately choosing love over hate or even worse, apathy.

So here is an opportunity for my blog to be more than just a place to collect pretty words. This is my accountability, my reflection journal, sometimes even an open prayer notebook. To the handful of people who take the time to read what I have to say, this blog can become my tool to reflect on this sort of resolution to love God and love people. Sometimes it might be a story, sometimes just a general life lesson, sometimes a quote or verse that spoke to me. But whatever it may be, I hope that once in a while one of those gems will speak to you, too.

Today's life lesson (in other words, how to love "better"): Be a listener. Don't spend time thinking of how you're going to respond, rather than really listening to the other person's words. Don't try to wrap up everyone's problems in a tidy bow and move on. Listen to the struggles. Listen not only to the words that are said, but also those left unsaid. And when you're really listening, you set aside any of your own "heart stuff" and make that other person the most important person in your universe at the time.

I had the opportunity today to visit with one of my oldest and dearest friends for just a little bit, and I'll admit, today was a day I talked a lot, and she listened a lot, and I'm so thankful for her open, hearing heart. I hope that tomorrow I can be that heart for someone else. ♥

John 13:34-35 (The Message) "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples- when they see the love you have for each other."