What hat are you wearing?
The most important part of snowman making might be debatable. I'm not sure where you land - Team Carrot Nose, Team Fuzzy Scarf, or Team Pipe in Mouth. If you want the piece de resistance, though - it's all about the hat. After all, in the tale of Frosty it was putting on the hat that brought life.
As we turn to classic tales this season in search of pearls of wisdom, I find this one begs the question -
What hat are you wearing?
And more importantly - is it bringing you life?
I think we could all agree that we wear many "hats" throughout our lives, and even during the span of one day. We play many roles. I find myself at the end of another year asking myself that question. Am I investing in things that bring me life? Some hats I have to wear - they are responsibilities. Others are roles I am blessed to play - sister, daughter, friend. But some hats I've just picked up - maybe cause I thought they looked cute or liked the idea of them. Frosty has me thinking it's time to organize my hat collection, if you know what I mean.
"Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
You will enjoy the finest food.
Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life." Isaiah 55:2-3
Jesus, lead us to come to you and listen and "eat what is good". May we wear "hats" that draw us to You - and the life you died to give us. And may you show us "hats" we wear that do no satisfy or bear fruit. To you, Oh Lord, be all the glory!
Monday, December 09, 2013
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Above All, Expect a Fairy Tale*: Epilogue
Let’s face it. An easy life would be a boring life. We think we want comfort because it’s what we have settled for, but in our deepest hearts, buried beneath the disappointments and sorrows, we yearn for something more. We long to be part of a grand story, something bigger than we are. Dare I say it? Yes, yes I do. We long to live a fairy tale.
Fairy tales don’t resonate so deeply in our hearts because we’ve heard them a million times or been conditioned by society. They resonate because our lives are THE ULTIMATE fairy tales. Good versus evil, trial and triumph, love and romance, honor and glory. Life is full of battles, our individual stories a part of THE story.
WE ARE the chosen, unlikely heroes who reluctantly step into the roles we were born to play. Through training and testing, mentored by sages, we live our lives. We battle The Villain whose aim is to snatch us from our King into everlasting darkness.
It gets better. We have a dual role in our fairy tale. Not only is each of us the Hero, we are also the Beloved. Jesus is the Hero of Heroes. He is the Warrior King, fighting for us, providing for us, to woo us and win our hearts and take us to live with Him, Happily Ever After.
YOU: Wait a minute. What about that Happily Ever After stuff? I could use a little H.E.A.
ME: Don’t worry. Christians will live Happily Ever After…but not yet. H.E.A. doesn’t happen until H.E.A.VEN. Truly, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9, Isaiah 64:4)
YOU: [sigh] Okay. That’s something to look forward to, but what about NOW?
ME: We can live the fairy tale now. “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (John 10:10, The Amplified Bible) Jesus isn't talking about Heaven, He's talking about TODAY.
Ask God to bring His abundant life for you.
EXPECT it. :)
*While these ideas are mine, John Eldredge has had them also, and he writes about them much better than I could in his book The Sacred Romance (which is why I never wrote my book). For further information visit www.ransomedheart.com.
Debbie Legg is your server this week! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
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No Dugouts in the Field of Dreams
One thing I’ve discovered about my little journey of dreaming with God is – there’s no sitting on the sidelines. Writing your dreams down is only a first step. But what do you do next? You pursue them - and anticipate God meeting you in the journey. God is really fond of doing things WITH you.
Exhibit A. After graduating from college in 2003, one of my dreams was to be free from student loan debt. Feeling called to the mission field, and in turn a meager income, I knew this dream could take 30+ to walk out. Regardless, I simply set out to begin paying off my loans. For sake of space I will spare you all of the delightful details, except the last one. In five years God had provided in such a way that I was completely debt free. I had been paying what I could on a monthly basis, received two educational stipends from participating in the AmeriCorps program, and finally was given a check for $10,000 by one of my missions supporters for the sole purpose of paying off my student loans. Dream Fulfilled.
Exhibit B. My roommate has an incredible dream. A talented cook with a heart for healthy living, she dreams of combining her passions to make nutritious foods and cooking accessible to all people. To walk out her dream of earning a degree in nutrition she is working at a group home to pay her way through prerequisite courses at the local community college. It’s not an easy gig. Taking Chemistry, a subject that doesn’t come easy for her, after a decade of being out of school has been a daunting challenge this summer. But God is meeting her and she keeps saying “yes” to her dream. I loved watching her rejoice when she got an ‘A’ on her first Chem test! Dream in process.
We are active participants in our dream lives. God will meet us in the journey, but we also need to be willing to say “yes” to his faithfulness by stepping out into our dreams. Not all dreams are fit for every season of our life. But right now, I believe, God has each of us in a place where we can begin to walk towards one of our dreams. It’s time to ask Him where our next stepping stone is.
“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
Grab a bat. Grab a glove. Game's on.
Super Size this devo: Here's some more ideas to prompt your dreaming. I've included examples from my own dream list to prime your pump:
We can have fun dreams. (I want to ride a hot air balloon someday).
We can have emotional dreams. (I want to live without worry).
Physical dreams (I wan to run a half marathon through Napa Valley).
Travel dreams (I want to visit Israel).
Spiritual dreams (I want to pray for a blind person and see them healed.)
Financial dreams (I want to pay off someone else’s student loans.)
Legacy dreams (I want to invest in a home and some land somewhere beautiful that could be passed down to my kids and future generations).
What are your extravagant dreams? What are the dreams that seem so small, you feel God shouldn’t even be concerned with them? What are your fun, emotional, physical, travel, spiritual, financial, and legacy dreams?
Sara Rust is your server this week! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
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Dreaming with God
If everyone did what they loved, the world would be a better place.
– Sara Rust, age 7…or 8.
I can’t remember who I was debating at the time I made that resolute argument – mom or dad or some older sibling. Though, I vaguely remember the opposing argument– the impossibility of a world being able to function if everyone simply did what they wanted all the time. After all, there are responsibilities we all have that need to be done, even when we don’t feel like it.
Even 23 years later, however, I remain unmoved from my position – though let me clarify what my limited first grade vocabulary couldn’t. I didn’t mean if everyone did what he or she felt like all the time the world would be a better place. I meant if we lived fully alive, as intended by our Heavenly Father, then life on this planet would transformed for the better.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”. John 10:10
Here is my proposition. I believe a part of living this abundant life is dreaming with God.
Dream with God, you say? Whatever does that mean?
Well, I’m so glad you asked. For me, dreaming with God means stealing those moments with Him in the morning or as I drive or as I read His Word and having a little convo about what’s going on in my heart – what are my desires? What do I enjoy doing? Who do I want to be? How can my life display His glory? Who did He create me to be and what did He create me for?
This week, I invite you to begin (or continue) a conversation with God about the dreams in your own heart – and if you feel so moved – begin to write them down in a “dream list”.
Buckle up, folks. It’s time to consider what it looks like to dream with the ultimate Dreamer.
Sara Rust is your server this week! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
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