The Dream Maker | revelife

Sunday, 21 September 2008

The Dream Maker
Guest blog submitted by star_76

We're in Minnesota right now, vacationing with Brent's family. We go fishing every evening, on the pontoon. So there's 10 of us, hanging out in close quarters, for a couple of hours every night. I come from a family of talkers and debaters and never-a-dull-momenters. Brent's family is a bit more laid back and not quite as open with their feelings. (or so my husband says)
The other night I was sitting there in the boat, casting my line over and over and was thinking, these hours of fishing would be great opportunities for deep discussions. That, in my mind, would make the time much more interesting. The night before I had seen a question in a store and I had been mulling it over in my mind since.
So, with some trepidation, I asked the question. "What are you most proud of accomplishing in your life?". Whoa. Heavy. There was complete silence for awhile. I was grinning inside myself because I figured Brent was groaning inside himself and wondering why in the world I was asking a question like that!

I loved hearing the responses. My sister-in-law said she was proud that they didn't abort their unborn child even though the doctors told them to. My mother-in-law said she was proud of the way her kids turned out. And they are good kids - that's for sure. My oh-so-funny husband said he was proud of surviving the infant stage of our kids. Whatever. He really is deeper than that!
Because of that question, we got to talking about some other stuff. It was good, sharing our hearts a bit.
That seemed like a success, so, the next evening at supper another question was posed. If time, money, and personal circumstances were not an issue, what would you do? What dream is secreted in your heart? It was so fascinating to hear the thoughts of Brent's family, the people I have known for over 12 years, but didn't know the dreams in their hearts. It felt almost holy, as I was allowed to see their dreams.
Since then, I have been thinking about the dreams and aspirations we all have. Sometimes we don't even realize that we had dreams, because we've forgotten. Because LIFE happens. That is so sad. I'm afraid that suddenly we'll be 70, and there will be dreams that have never been given a voice. We need to hope... and dream... and plan... so we can remember! Otherwise, we live life like hamsters, going around and around the wheel without a plan in sight, and the desires of our hearts die because we bury them alive with our responsibilities in life.
We need to talk about our desires and dreams because they have been entrusted to us by The Dream Maker. Something is stirred deep within our hearts, when we allow ourselves to get that faraway look in our eyes, and hope and dream and plan and remember! So, I encourage you, give voice to your dreams. Maybe you could even let other people see into your heart and share your dreams with them...
In August 2005, while I was reading a very familiar passage of scripture, I had a download from the Lord. I saw this scripture in a totally new light. It is not a "7 Step Plan", but I believe there is a step-by-step picture that is painted for us.
Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Discover your God, build a relationship with Him, learn to trust Him and hear His voice.
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. I always understood this scripture to mean that God's gonna give you what you desire. Pretty much, anyway. However, that day, God showed me that if we do the previous "steps", God Himself is going to place desires in our hearts. Isn't that way cool?! Take a minute and think about the desires and dreams you have. I would pretty much bet that you didn't come up with them yourself. Seriously, we're not that creative. As we grow in Him, The Dream Maker will drop creative little thoughts into our heart of hearts. Listen to them! Is it possible our Creator knows His creation much, much better than we know ourselves? I want His desires over mine any day!
Don't brush those thoughts away just because you might not know how it fits into the picture of your life. I think The Dream Maker places those little seeds of desires in our heart of hearts, and we need to take notice. Allow the dream seeds to take root. They might be a stepping stone to an even bigger desire. The previous verse is so important, because if we haven't built a relationship with God, and haven't learned to listen to His voice, how are we going to hear the desires God wants to give to us?
Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. Now, if The Dream Maker has the power to place these desires in our hearts, don't you think He knows how it's all gonna work out? By the way, it doesn't always have to be something grand, it could be something to bring joy to your home, it could be a mission trip, it could be something that you "happen" to have a passion for, or even enjoy doing! Do you think it's an accident that you happen to like something? We are uniquely created. So our response might be, "God, I don't know why I want to ___. BUT, I trust you, and I commit this to you". It might take awhile, and sometimes we have to go through a bunch of different learning experiences, but we don't need to force the issue. He has awesome timing!
I have seen it happen over and over in my life. And I'm only 31. This past year I have seen a desire that was placed in my heart when I was about 16 years old, begin to sprout. It's pretty cool to watch it happen.
Psalm 37:7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.
Psalm 37:8 Do not fret - it only causes harm. Interesting. God knows our human nature, doesn't He? Okay, God, I have this desire in my heart that you gave me, now when are you gonna make it happen? Huh? Huh? Hey, yoo-hoo, God, over here. Remember me? Huh? When God? Huh? God - when? We become like a 3 year old that knows he can have candy sometime today.
So now, after we've trusted, and committed, and dwelt, and delighted and fed on Him, there's one more "step".
Rest. Wait patiently. Don't fret.
How well The Dream Maker knows His precious children. He's got our best interest in mind. Really. He does. And while we're chafing at the bit, He's telling us to just settle down, and relax. He's got everything under control. And I'm so glad He does.
Let the breath of The Dream Maker bring life to your dreams today and start remembering and hoping and planning.
What dreams do you want God to make happen in your life?