Dreams

Tonight we had D-group with the girls across the hall. We talked about dreaming, what it is to dream, and whether or not we are called to abandon our dreams for God. Isaiah 37, Romans 12.

There seemed to be a feeling that, God desires us to dream as he made us dreaming creatures in his image, but that if our hearts were truly aligned with God's desires, we would dream God's dreams for ourselves and the world.

We did an exercise in which we wrote down a picture of our dreams, and afterwards I decided that I wanted to write some dreams here:

I walk into my workplace, colorful and lively. It is a place where I feel valued, befriended. A coworker greets me with genuinely welcoming eyes and I know that I am where I can use the gifts God has given me to meet the needs of those around me.

I gently set a small cup of salad dressing on the table as I finish a meal I have made for Tyler and I. Tyler sits in his slacks and shirt, home from a longer day of work than usual. He smiles at me and thanks me for the work I have done and I smile and thank him with my eyes for the effort he puts into sustaining us. We sit down, pray to the Lord who provides our food and eat, genuinely thankful for what we have with each other.

I cradle a baby with dark brown waves. Her head nuzzles against my shoulder as I tell her how much I love her, how much God loves her, and how powerful she is and will be as a person and a creation of God. She grasps my hand as if she understands, and perhaps she does, but she spits up on my shoulder.

My daughter and I eagerly mix the cream in to our mixture as we make cake batter ice cream.

My daughter brings her friends over for break from college. As they comfortably stroll into the dining room, Tyler and I bring out dense bread with seeds and honey butter, tender chicken, and fresh salad. They feel cared for.

I often feel like I am not a very creative or deep person. I have much to learn about my faith. That's not a dream. That's just reality.

I desire so deeply to watch Tyler grow, become more conscientious, gain perspective, and love people more fully and gently than he could ever conceive of doing in this moment in time. May he know the joy of loving people in word and thought and deed.