dreams

"'Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops."- Matthew 10:27

I'm a pretty big fan of dreaming big dreams (not the sleeping kind, the "life" kind). I firmly believe that God gives every person very specific wishes, desires, dreams, and goals and He does it for a purpose. If you read Psalm 139 it is quite clear that the Lord has a plan for every life (or if, like the rest of the world, you read Jeremiah 29:11 out of context). I like to think that God accomplishes His plan when we follow and pursue the dreams He grants us. I will never understand why people walk away from their heart's desire and settle for something less. Don't get me wrong, I understand that life happens and sometimes interferes. I definitely understand there are bills to pay, mouths to feed, responsibilities, and difficult choices to make. I also understand that my Father is bigger than all of those things and that He can do absolutely anything He chooses. So why do we settle when we could walk in faith? God is far too powerful and creative for that. I absolutely adore the fact that He is a God of diversity and He is multi-dimensional. I love that He gives everybody different hopes, dreams, abilities, and opportunities. I love that one person's "great" may be somebody else's "mediocre." And I love most that He makes a way. Nothing is too big for my God.
However, let's clarify. This is not a "name it and claim it" kind of thing. I'm not saying that God grants us every little thing we may ask for, but when our will is in accordance with His will and when it's His perfect timing He answers. Notice that I said our will lines up with His, not the other way around. In my experience, the Lord knows far better what He's doing in and with my life than I do.
My main point is an exhortation to never give up. Let us be a people who do not bury our dreams and walk away from the desires of our hearts because they are there for a reason. Let us be a generation that consults with the Lord about the dreams He gives us. I hope that we ask for a passion and when He gives us one that we follow it. I pray that someday we'll stop making excuses, grow some faith, and step out trusting that God knows exactly what He's doing.

covenant

I've been considering a lot lately the idea of willfully walking with somebody even if it opens you up to the possibility of getting hurt. What would it look like to stick by a person even if you knew it would bring frequent heartache, disappointment, and loads of frustration? There are people in my life that I feel like I need to pursue with the love of the Lord even if it rips my heart out. There are friends in my world that I know are going to let me down over and over and over and over again, but I also know it's because they need Jesus. I know they need to be pursued with real love, even if it kills me. But my question is can I truly embody the love of Christ? Can I be Jesus in the flesh to somebody else? Can you imagine being Christ? The man took on the sins, faults, wrong-doings, pain, heartache, hate, ugliness, shortcomings, anger, etc, etc, etc, of ALL of humanity. What if I tried to do that with just a handful of my loved ones? I know I'm not strong enough to do it on my own because it would break my heart, but if I stay centered on Jesus maybe He can do it through me. I know a LOT of people would never understand this concept because we are so ingrained with the idea of looking out for number one, protecting ourselves, but that's ok because a lot of people didn't understand a lot of what Jesus said either.
Ooooh, I just want my people to know what I know, to have what I have, to love Who I love. He is so good, all the time. He will never let us down, and that's why I want to trust Him with this idea. It will NOT be an easy road and it probably takes a lot of sacrifice and patience, because people are not always willing to meet halfway. I need people to give and to let go and to open themselves up, and I believe it is possible with God, He is big enough. I think I would rather be an open book than to have a guarded heart cut off from others. Having said that, I know we are called to guard our hearts for out of it springs the issues of life (Prov. 4:23), but maybe that means I just let the Lord have and control my heart and He does as He pleases with it....I don't know but I'm sure He will show me when it's time.

more

Is it too much to want it all? I just want the best, the most fulfilled life I can have. At the end of the day I want to know I did my best, that I really tried. I want to know that I poured myself out and that I embodied love. I want to be inspired and to inspire others. I want to be strong and confident, able to take care of myself. I want to be wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove. I want to give everday. I want to be understanding and level-headed. I want to be fun and funny, to bring joy to others. I will not lay down and die, but I want to live like I've never been hurt. I want to be loved. Really loved. I feel like that's not too much to ask, but I could be wrong. Let's back up, I know I'm loved, but I mean romantically. Ugh, why is this such a big deal? Why such a struggle, especially for girls...? Why are boys so fickle and complicated? I don't get it. But, that's ok because I know I just need to trust God. I know He's got a plan and a way, and it's probably a lot better than what I can do. So, here's to trusting Him.

catch up

I've had the opportunity to catch up with a few people from high school this week and we've had some really great conversations. I feel like I've gotten to talk about Jesus and my faith a lot this week and that has been AH-MAZING!!!!

I feel like there's something coming, something new and exciting, different. I feel like I'm at the threshold of something big. The last time I had a feeling like this, a fuzzy hint at something to come, I turned out to be right. I can't wait to see how God is working and moving, changing me and my life. He's really good; I love Him.

passion

what is passion? according to dictionary.com: any powerful or compelling emotion; a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything; an outburst of strong emotion or feeling.
i was discussing w/ a friend that i have this desire to see my fellow followers of Christ become very passionate about their relationship w/ Him. and now i'm thinking, "am i even that passionate about my relationship w/ Christ?" i know how much i love the Lord and how much He means to me and all that He's done for me, but am i making His name known? can people see how much i love Him?
these are really sobering questions, but i'm challenging myself to consider them along side my youth group as i prepare to challenge them to sell out for God.
so what is it to sell out? again, according to dictionary.com: to put all of one's goods or possessions up for sale. i'm not sure we can quite literally apply this to our topic of discussion, but maybe we can. i think to sell out for God is to let go of everything we think is "ours" and completely depend on and trust God. i think it's to give or do anything for the Lord. this of course looks different for different people, but it's the same concept.
so, my challenge to myself and my loved ones is to be fully committed to Christ, to do whatever He calls me to, but to enjoy it and delight in Him every step of the way.

faithful

God is so good. He continually reveals Himself to be incredibly faithful about anwering my prayers. Sometimes He answers very quickly and at other times He says "Wait," and sometimes I don't hear anything at all, but eventually it all works together in the end. Obviously I really like it when I see God's immediate action, but He teaches me faith and trust when it's not so obvious. This year He has drawn me so close and I hope in the new year our relationship just continues to grow deeper and deeper.

I love you Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You, oh my soul rejoice. Take joy my King in what You hear, may it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.