God-Sized Dreams

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by Christina Spicuzza via Flickr"][/caption]

Yesterday came and went without me blogging.

Some days are so busy and then it is time for bed.

I'm going to blog about God-Sized dreams today...which is what everyone was talking about yesterday at Faith Barista.




*************

I've thought about this topic, and to be honest I wasn't sure what to write.  "Dreams" are something I struggle with.....

Do I write about big dreams that I have, and hope that God is along for the ride and that it all works out the way I'd like?

Do I say aloud what I'm really thinking?

Do I dream secretly and know it will never happen---so I learn to forget about the dream, and allow it to grow dusty in the recesses of my heart?

Are dreams meant to be acted on? Or are they just wishes?

Do I dream big, only to be made fun of? Or told that the dream is way too big and will never happen?

I just don't know. I really don't.

I wish I had some profound wisdom about the subject, some sage advice to share.

Alas, I do not.  Believe me, if I did I would tell you. It would feel good to share.

Should I not dream, because it might not be what God wants for me? I don't want to disappoint Him...or myself.

Does God even allow us our dreams? And maybe my dream is not what it should be? God is Sovereign, He knows what would bring true joy to my heart...but so many times He is silent on the topic of dreams. And I am left wondering. And worrying.

Am I way off? Should I settle for the small?

Maybe you can relate?

I have had dreams. Big dreams, but then life happens. The dreams get shelved and most of the time I don't get to go back. Oh, don't get me wrong. I do go back and blow off the dust and peek inside the box of dreams on occasion.  They just seem so big, unrealistic...

and I have dinner to make. Or bathrooms to clean. Or home school to monitor. Animals to feed. Groceries to gather. Clothes to wash. Floors to sweep. Furniture to dust. Bible to study.Friends to visit. Children to love. A husband to grow old with. Letters to write. Magazines to skim. Books to read. Emails to write. Prayers to pray.

And my dreams seem small in the urgency of the every day.

I wonder if I even have the right to dream big about things, when there is so much to do right here?

Dreams of......

Traveling. Writing. Speaking. Decorating. Teaching. Helping.

I am a very aesthetic person. God made me that way. So how does one dream about that?

I communicate through my love of words.  How can this be part of a dream?

I love to meet people, hear their stories.....listen. Is that dream material?

I long to help others in the battle of rights for the disabled. Is that a dream or a cause?

Are my dreams even worthy?

I don't know.

My job is to leave myself pliable in the Potter's hand. He knows things, I don't.

He is the One that can create dreams and watch them take shape.

He is the only One that can.

Yet you, LORD, are our Father.
   We are the clay, you are the potter;
   we are all the work of your hand.  Isaiah 64:8  NIV

 

 

 

Related articles

• Dream Big (soaringondreamerswings.wordpress.com)


• The God-Sized Dream (redletterbelievers.blogspot.com)


• Sweet Dreams. (greatriversofhope.wordpress.com)


• Dreams And A Little About My Dad (newauthors.wordpress.com)


• Keep Dreaming... (aaronconrad.com)


• God Sized Goals (markmathia.com)


• Protecting Your Dream (opendoorelo.wordpress.com)


• Failure (awarmcupofcomfort.com)

God-Sized Dreams

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by Christina Spicuzza via Flickr"][/caption]

Yesterday came and went without me blogging.

Some days are so busy and then it is time for bed.

I'm going to blog about God-Sized dreams today...which is what everyone was talking about yesterday at Faith Barista.




*************

I've thought about this topic, and to be honest I wasn't sure what to write.  "Dreams" are something I struggle with.....

Do I write about big dreams that I have, and hope that God is along for the ride and that it all works out the way I'd like?

Do I say aloud what I'm really thinking?

Do I dream secretly and know it will never happen---so I learn to forget about the dream, and allow it to grow dusty in the recesses of my heart?

Are dreams meant to be acted on? Or are they just wishes?

Do I dream big, only to be made fun of? Or told that the dream is way too big and will never happen?

I just don't know. I really don't.

I wish I had some profound wisdom about the subject, some sage advice to share.

Alas, I do not.  Believe me, if I did I would tell you. It would feel good to share.

Should I not dream, because it might not be what God wants for me? I don't want to disappoint Him...or myself.

Does God even allow us our dreams? And maybe my dream is not what it should be? God is Sovereign, He knows what would bring true joy to my heart...but so many times He is silent on the topic of dreams. And I am left wondering. And worrying.

Am I way off? Should I settle for the small?

Maybe you can relate?

I have had dreams. Big dreams, but then life happens. The dreams get shelved and most of the time I don't get to go back. Oh, don't get me wrong. I do go back and blow off the dust and peek inside the box of dreams on occasion.  They just seem so big, unrealistic...

and I have dinner to make. Or bathrooms to clean. Or home school to monitor. Animals to feed. Groceries to gather. Clothes to wash. Floors to sweep. Furniture to dust. Bible to study.Friends to visit. Children to love. A husband to grow old with. Letters to write. Magazines to skim. Books to read. Emails to write. Prayers to pray.

And my dreams seem small in the urgency of the every day.

I wonder if I even have the right to dream big about things, when there is so much to do right here?

Dreams of......

Traveling. Writing. Speaking. Decorating. Teaching. Helping.

I am a very aesthetic person. God made me that way. So how does one dream about that?

I communicate through my love of words.  How can this be part of a dream?

I love to meet people, hear their stories.....listen. Is that dream material?

I long to help others in the battle of rights for the disabled. Is that a dream or a cause?

Are my dreams even worthy?

I don't know.

My job is to leave myself pliable in the Potter's hand. He knows things, I don't.

He is the One that can create dreams and watch them take shape.

He is the only One that can.

Yet you, LORD, are our Father.
   We are the clay, you are the potter;
   we are all the work of your hand.  Isaiah 64:8  NIV

 

 

 

Related articles

• Dream Big (soaringondreamerswings.wordpress.com)


• The God-Sized Dream (redletterbelievers.blogspot.com)


• Sweet Dreams. (greatriversofhope.wordpress.com)


• Dreams And A Little About My Dad (newauthors.wordpress.com)


• Keep Dreaming... (aaronconrad.com)


• God Sized Goals (markmathia.com)


• Protecting Your Dream (opendoorelo.wordpress.com)


• Failure (awarmcupofcomfort.com)

When Walking In Pain

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by 竜次 ryuuji via Flickr"][/caption]

This week we are continuing to talk about being Christ-centric.

Making Christ our center.

Keeping Him in the center of each day.

In the center of a life.


**************

I've been thinking about pain, lately...

I cut my knee the other day. It bled a lot and it hurt.

I had a headache earlier this week and it made my neck stiff.

I don't like pain. I don't like to hurt. I try to shun it at all costs, if I can't do that,  I learn to tolerate it.  Sometimes pain doesn't show itself in a bloody knee, or a sore neck. Sometimes it shows itself, in ways that hurt to much to talk about.

Some days it is easier to deny the pain.

For awhile.

But then I'm forced to deal with it. Not always well. I struggle.

I am alone in my thoughts.

Isn't that the way of the human heart?

The thoughts rush through me, much like a tsunami. I wonder if this is what it feels like to drown?

...A friend who is watching the son she once knew, slip away to a confusing medical diagnosis--and doctors who don't hear her.

...Another friend who has to put his dear wife in a nursing home because her care has become to much for him

...A friend whose husband was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's, at 46

...A marriage dissolves

...A family that sits in an emergency room

...An unplanned pregancy

...Broken family bonds

...Poor decisions

...Hours cut at the job, when one is barely making ends meet

...A family member whose body is worn down from cancer treatments

...A widow, whose husband was taken from her by a man with a gun

And the list goes on.

Pain. Stinging pain.

How do I live a Christ centered life...how do I show Christ to others, when there is so much pain?

When the heart is burdened and the tears build

When an answer isn't given

When nothing seems to make sense

When facing the dashing of dreams

or the certainty of death...

I want Christ in the center.

I want Him not just near me. I want to be full of Him.

I want to be reminded that I do not walk alone.

I need to remember that nothing can separate me from Him. Nothing.

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8: 38-39

AMEN

Related articles

• The Big Questions in Life. (jesusfreak783.wordpress.com)


• What do you do in the midst of deep darkness? (crt010304.wordpress.com)


• God Heals Hurts (guest post) (marykathryntyson.wordpress.com)


• Embrace the Cross (Re-Post) (inchristus.wordpress.com)


• For those who hurt. (practicingjane.wordpress.com)


• Being a Christian (zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)


• 6-21-11) Why This Pain (late4work.wordpress.com)

When Walking In Pain

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by 竜次 ryuuji via Flickr"][/caption]

This week we are continuing to talk about being Christ-centric.

Making Christ our center.

Keeping Him in the center of each day.

In the center of a life.


**************

I've been thinking about pain, lately...

I cut my knee the other day. It bled a lot and it hurt.

I had a headache earlier this week and it made my neck stiff.

I don't like pain. I don't like to hurt. I try to shun it at all costs, if I can't do that,  I learn to tolerate it.  Sometimes pain doesn't show itself in a bloody knee, or a sore neck. Sometimes it shows itself, in ways that hurt to much to talk about.

Some days it is easier to deny the pain.

For awhile.

But then I'm forced to deal with it. Not always well. I struggle.

I am alone in my thoughts.

Isn't that the way of the human heart?

The thoughts rush through me, much like a tsunami. I wonder if this is what it feels like to drown?

...A friend who is watching the son she once knew, slip away to a confusing medical diagnosis--and doctors who don't hear her.

...Another friend who has to put his dear wife in a nursing home because her care has become to much for him

...A friend whose husband was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's, at 46

...A marriage dissolves

...A family that sits in an emergency room

...An unplanned pregancy

...Broken family bonds

...Poor decisions

...Hours cut at the job, when one is barely making ends meet

...A family member whose body is worn down from cancer treatments

...A widow, whose husband was taken from her by a man with a gun

And the list goes on.

Pain. Stinging pain.

How do I live a Christ centered life...how do I show Christ to others, when there is so much pain?

When the heart is burdened and the tears build

When an answer isn't given

When nothing seems to make sense

When facing the dashing of dreams

or the certainty of death...

I want Christ in the center.

I want Him not just near me. I want to be full of Him.

I want to be reminded that I do not walk alone.

I need to remember that nothing can separate me from Him. Nothing.

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8: 38-39

AMEN

Related articles

• The Big Questions in Life. (jesusfreak783.wordpress.com)


• What do you do in the midst of deep darkness? (crt010304.wordpress.com)


• God Heals Hurts (guest post) (marykathryntyson.wordpress.com)


• Embrace the Cross (Re-Post) (inchristus.wordpress.com)


• For those who hurt. (practicingjane.wordpress.com)


• Being a Christian (zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)


• 6-21-11) Why This Pain (late4work.wordpress.com)

Take Me Home Country Roads...

There is just something about those round bales of hay...



I love lavender. I'd plant my entire flower garden with it, if I could.







Country in the kitchen...

*****************

The morning is starting out quietly, with the exception of the wind chimes blowing in the breeze.

A peaceful morning bodes well for the rest of the day.

Related articles

• Lavender recipes for the summer (telegraph.co.uk)


• Send Us Pics of Your Garden/Flowers! (fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com)


• Take Me Home...Country Roads (gibsongirl247.wordpress.com)


• An update on Stumpy my cat (misswhiplash.wordpress.com)


• Brighten Up Your Life with Decorative Lighting from StylishHomeDecorating.com (prweb.com)


• Best route for drivers is 'home' (autonetinsurance.co.uk)

Take Me Home Country Roads...

There is just something about those round bales of hay...



I love lavender. I'd plant my entire flower garden with it, if I could.







Country in the kitchen...

*****************

The morning is starting out quietly, with the exception of the wind chimes blowing in the breeze.

A peaceful morning bodes well for the rest of the day.

Related articles

• Lavender recipes for the summer (telegraph.co.uk)


• Send Us Pics of Your Garden/Flowers! (fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com)


• Take Me Home...Country Roads (gibsongirl247.wordpress.com)


• An update on Stumpy my cat (misswhiplash.wordpress.com)


• Brighten Up Your Life with Decorative Lighting from StylishHomeDecorating.com (prweb.com)


• Best route for drivers is 'home' (autonetinsurance.co.uk)

When You Can't See Through The Fog

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="159" caption="Image by BrendonPG via Flickr"][/caption]

I've got a million things to do today...and not enough time to get it all done.

It's very foggy this morning--like pea soup, foggy. There is sun on the other side of the fog. I see it peeking through in spots.

It reminds me of life.

Sometimes things can look "foggy".  I wonder how in the world everything is going to work out? It's difficult to see into the future. But, then the SON peeks through the fog...and things start to take shape. This is not to say that everything works out perfectly, at least not by my standards. At least not by what I know. I don't (can't) always see the big picture. I can only see what is right in front of my face.

That is where trust comes in.

Sometimes, that is all I have to give.

Trust.

And really, that is all I need.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will direct your paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6  NIV

*****************

*beautiful sun through the fog

*another fresh, new week

*quiet, early morning

*reading the Father's Day cards that the kids gave

*a happy heart

*a cold glass of iced tea

*anticipation

*opportunity

*freshly cut hair, doesn't it always feel and look better?

***************

How are you blessed?

Related articles

• Foggy Weather! (sydspix.wordpress.com)


• Foggy Brain Quick Fixes (fitsugar.com)


• Another foggy day in Nova Scotia Paradise (roxanebay.wordpress.com)


• Michelle Malkin " The Fog of Fog (kajunman.wordpress.com)


• Showcase of Fabulous Foggy Photographs (noupe.com)


• The process of writing my cookbook (mychocolethandbag.wordpress.com)


• Foggy Morning sunrise (redsleddog.wordpress.com)


• Foggy Sunday morning (run4joy59.wordpress.com)