I hope by this point, we can believe that God still gives visions and dreams.
But more than this, we can be confident that they will come to fruition. How can I know this and state it audaciously? For this simple reason:
This life as we know it...is not all there is!
I explored this theme about two years ago in a few different posts. (see Heaven, Heaven is For Real, and Becoming Heaven-Minded) God's vision for my life doesn't have to take place in this lifetime. As Randy Alcorn states in his book Heaven, I will have all of eternity to live out adventures, travel, learning new things and refining old talents. I don't know about you, but missed opportunities have a lot less hold on me when I know I have a "lifetime still to come" to live out my dreams and desires.
As a financially-challenged, homeschooling mama who hasn't been able to afford all of the music lessons, foreign language software and cultural experiences that our world tells are absolutely pertinent to developing well-rounded individuals, Alcorn's biblically-substantiated promise that my children will have all of eternity to learn how to play Bach...and Bach will continue to compose!...brought more relief than words can express.
For some unexplainable, God-given reason...Africa has always had a special place in my heart. I know it is a massive continent, and I love it all! Before I had even surrendered to this promise that there is more than this current life, I was already being drawn to Africa...so much so, that one year for school, all four of my children and I went through an African history unit study that I enjoyed immensely. Because of God's promise that there is more than this life, I can now, guarantee you that one day, I will step foot on African soil. It may be the refined, perfected Africa after Christ has returned to establish His Kingdom on the New Earth...but it will happen.
This is precisely the same reason why I can know, beyond any doubt that someday I will "have a place where I can grow things, teach others to grow things and a place where the "weary traveler" can come, put up their feet, rest, be nourished, encouraged, grow in wisdom, discernment and knowledge, for however long it takes for them to be sturdier on the feet God gave them."
In other words, it doesn't matter when...because I know it will...happen.
Now...I can live at peace and not attempt to manipulate, connive and maneuver my way into making something happen in my timing, because I have all of eternity to see it come to fruition. And the most beautiful part is that if it doesn't happen until the New Earth...it will be a perfected, whole and holy completion of the vision...just as God always intended it to be from the very start.
Each of the three lessons God had been growing in me were wonderful, beautiful and amazing in their own way. But this one was freeing.
No more regrets over missed opportunities. No longer did I need to grieve that I'd been "wasting my life". The talents I've been given in the here and now, that no one seemed interested in using...will be utilized perfectly in God's Kingdom on the New Earth.
One such example is that I'm a singer. I have to guard against pride yes, but I also need to acknowledge that God gave me a pretty good singing voice. Yet, for some reason (possibly to protect me from my pride!), I have been in church after church in my lifetime where this talent was not one that was needed. This stung, hurt and disappointed me for many, many years. The pattern always seemed to be that there would be a plea put out for musicians, I would respond, it would take 6-12 months for someone to get back in touch with me, I would sing a few times over a couple months' period and then the person designated as "in charge" of the musicians would leave, be demoted or a new director would be hired. This cycle was repeated so many times in the last 25 years that with our move to First Church of Christ two years ago, I told my husband that I would never seek to sing in any church again, no matter where we went...the rejection was just too painful. [Full disclosure: last summer, I did offer to be a part of the music program at FCC, but when they followed up with me in just a few short weeks, I could never bring myself to move forward with it.] All of that to say, I am now 45 and I realize it's only a few years until my voice probably will be too wobbly to use in a public setting anyway.
Of course my Enemy has used this to beat me up with the fear that I've "wasted" the gift and "squandered" any chance of using it. [Why I never chose to pursue it professionally has escaped me to this day. I think a combination of not thinking I was good enough and no support when I was younger, encouraging me to pursue it. But that's an entirely different therapist's session to glean the lessons in that part of the story.] In this example though...God has brought freedom to me and the knowledge that on the New Earth...He will use the voice He's given me. Even if it's only for an audience of One...it will be worth the wait, right?
Now...in this moment, I think it's interesting just how much I've shut down that musical part of myself. So much so, that I don't even see it as part of the Vision He has for my life. Funny how discouragement and doubt affect us, isn't it? But what I do know...is that He gave us each of our talents and gifts for His divine purpose and maybe on the New Earth my official title will be the Singing Encouraging Gardener.
That's a title I could live with!
I hope you embrace fully the beautiful promise that this life as we know it, is not all there is! Please plumb the depths of it. I believe one of our Enemy's greatest weapons is deceiving us into thinking it can't get any better than we've already got it. Oh...but it can...and it will.
******************************************
For more in this series, see Part 1 God Still Gives Visions and Dreams
But more than this, we can be confident that they will come to fruition. How can I know this and state it audaciously? For this simple reason:
This life as we know it...is not all there is!
I explored this theme about two years ago in a few different posts. (see Heaven, Heaven is For Real, and Becoming Heaven-Minded) God's vision for my life doesn't have to take place in this lifetime. As Randy Alcorn states in his book Heaven, I will have all of eternity to live out adventures, travel, learning new things and refining old talents. I don't know about you, but missed opportunities have a lot less hold on me when I know I have a "lifetime still to come" to live out my dreams and desires.
As a financially-challenged, homeschooling mama who hasn't been able to afford all of the music lessons, foreign language software and cultural experiences that our world tells are absolutely pertinent to developing well-rounded individuals, Alcorn's biblically-substantiated promise that my children will have all of eternity to learn how to play Bach...and Bach will continue to compose!...brought more relief than words can express.
For some unexplainable, God-given reason...Africa has always had a special place in my heart. I know it is a massive continent, and I love it all! Before I had even surrendered to this promise that there is more than this current life, I was already being drawn to Africa...so much so, that one year for school, all four of my children and I went through an African history unit study that I enjoyed immensely. Because of God's promise that there is more than this life, I can now, guarantee you that one day, I will step foot on African soil. It may be the refined, perfected Africa after Christ has returned to establish His Kingdom on the New Earth...but it will happen.
This is precisely the same reason why I can know, beyond any doubt that someday I will "have a place where I can grow things, teach others to grow things and a place where the "weary traveler" can come, put up their feet, rest, be nourished, encouraged, grow in wisdom, discernment and knowledge, for however long it takes for them to be sturdier on the feet God gave them."
In other words, it doesn't matter when...because I know it will...happen.
Now...I can live at peace and not attempt to manipulate, connive and maneuver my way into making something happen in my timing, because I have all of eternity to see it come to fruition. And the most beautiful part is that if it doesn't happen until the New Earth...it will be a perfected, whole and holy completion of the vision...just as God always intended it to be from the very start.
Each of the three lessons God had been growing in me were wonderful, beautiful and amazing in their own way. But this one was freeing.
No more regrets over missed opportunities. No longer did I need to grieve that I'd been "wasting my life". The talents I've been given in the here and now, that no one seemed interested in using...will be utilized perfectly in God's Kingdom on the New Earth.
One such example is that I'm a singer. I have to guard against pride yes, but I also need to acknowledge that God gave me a pretty good singing voice. Yet, for some reason (possibly to protect me from my pride!), I have been in church after church in my lifetime where this talent was not one that was needed. This stung, hurt and disappointed me for many, many years. The pattern always seemed to be that there would be a plea put out for musicians, I would respond, it would take 6-12 months for someone to get back in touch with me, I would sing a few times over a couple months' period and then the person designated as "in charge" of the musicians would leave, be demoted or a new director would be hired. This cycle was repeated so many times in the last 25 years that with our move to First Church of Christ two years ago, I told my husband that I would never seek to sing in any church again, no matter where we went...the rejection was just too painful. [Full disclosure: last summer, I did offer to be a part of the music program at FCC, but when they followed up with me in just a few short weeks, I could never bring myself to move forward with it.] All of that to say, I am now 45 and I realize it's only a few years until my voice probably will be too wobbly to use in a public setting anyway.
Of course my Enemy has used this to beat me up with the fear that I've "wasted" the gift and "squandered" any chance of using it. [Why I never chose to pursue it professionally has escaped me to this day. I think a combination of not thinking I was good enough and no support when I was younger, encouraging me to pursue it. But that's an entirely different therapist's session to glean the lessons in that part of the story.] In this example though...God has brought freedom to me and the knowledge that on the New Earth...He will use the voice He's given me. Even if it's only for an audience of One...it will be worth the wait, right?
Now...in this moment, I think it's interesting just how much I've shut down that musical part of myself. So much so, that I don't even see it as part of the Vision He has for my life. Funny how discouragement and doubt affect us, isn't it? But what I do know...is that He gave us each of our talents and gifts for His divine purpose and maybe on the New Earth my official title will be the Singing Encouraging Gardener.
That's a title I could live with!
I hope you embrace fully the beautiful promise that this life as we know it, is not all there is! Please plumb the depths of it. I believe one of our Enemy's greatest weapons is deceiving us into thinking it can't get any better than we've already got it. Oh...but it can...and it will.
******************************************
For more in this series, see Part 1 God Still Gives Visions and Dreams
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