Tag Archives: dreams

Jun14

DAY 164 (2014)

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Our perspective determines our direction.

Our perspective determines our direction.

Okay so this is me asking for the opinion or insight of those of you who read this post. I have a situation and the best way I can figure out the direction is to look at it from all opposing angles. The problem however, is that in my limited view I only have one angle that I can see. So feel free to comment, tell me what you think (honestly). I really want to hear.  In order for you to know what you need to give an opinion about I should tell you clearly what I am facing. I have made a decision to move, one that I am quite at peace with (or was, but still am…ahhh geesh!) I have  decided to go back to school, I am planning on leaving our home in Florida and traveling to the coldest place on the planet (not really, but compared to Florida), Buffalo, New York. I have many good reasons, my brother is there, cost of living is lower, my mom will be with her two kids, and I function much better in a small town atmosphere. The school is pretty amazing too. What’s the downside you ask? Well as of right now I won’t have a job, this scares me a bit. I want to be able to take care of my mom and all my other responsibilities. I will be going with money that I have saved up, so I won’t be penniless, but that can only last for so long. My fear about staying is if I stay (because I am comfortable), then I will always be stuck here. My fear about going, we die or have to leave under a bridge (which is a problem because there are no bridges where we’ll be moving). To add more confusion, this morning my mom had this dream: “I dreamt we were in Jamaica going to visit my uncle, and I kept feeling I was going in the wrong direction and a girl (I didn’t know) was telling me the way to go. As we approached the area we saw all these men with guns. One of the men came up to me and said, ‘What are you doing here? You need to leave because we’re having a gun fight in thirty minutes.’  So I told you all we needed to leave, and thanked the man for keeping us safe.” My mom’s translation, “God will protect us.” My translation, “We’re heading into gun fire.”  Both very apropos to the dream, but completely different perspectives. Our perspective determines how we approach a given situation. I want to approach this situation with the correct view.

“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).

So what’s my plan? Walk on the path God has prepared for me.

Apr26

DAY 116 (2014)

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Faith is believing the unbelievable.

Faith is believing the unbelievable.

Just saw the movie, Heaven Is For Real. Just for the record this will not be a movie review. I will not be grading for biblical content, or acting ability. I just wanted to relay what the movie taught me about, me. Warning for those of you who have not seen the movie, but plan to SPOILERS ahead. Proceed with caution 😉 . The story revolves around Colton an adorable four year old who is struck with a serve case of appendicitis that lands him in surgery (at no point does his heart or his brain function stop).  He didn’t die. However, after surgery he stops being afraid of the things that use to frighten him, and starts telling his family about heaven. His dad, who is a Pastor, is at first amused, but when Colton starts talking about things he shouldn’t know, it starts his father on a journey of faith discovery. There is a line in the movie that stuck in my mind, in a sermon to the congregation (who were split as to what to believe), Pastor Burp says these words, “…On earth as it is in heaven, I have said those words ten thousand times, but do I really mean them?” That question resounded with me. Do I believe it, like a child? You know that belief, that faith has kept Spider-man, Batman, and Santa Clause alive and well for decades. Do we who believe in God, Jesus and the bible exhibit that kind of faith? Due to recent events in my personal life my faith has been tested, during this time I have had to truly examine my belief system, just like Colton’s dad had to. It is easy to believe when what we believe is logical. But it is harder to when it defies logic, when it goes to a place that is so far beyond our realm of understanding. The irony  however is this, that’s exactly where FAITH lives. If it is logical to us it takes no faith to trust, it’s those moments when a 4 year old says, “Heaven is be-uuuutiful” or when God says, “Move, and I will provide the rest” it’s those moments where true faith is exercised. FAITH requires that we believe the unbelievable.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

So what’s the plan? Child like faith.

Oct7

DAY 280

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If we focus only on what is in front, we miss what is behind it. -Gyeryong-San National Park S. Korea- (Picture by Lisa R)

If we focus only on what is in front, we miss what is behind it.
-Gyeryong-San National Park S. Korea-
(Picture by Lisa R)

This weekend my Pastor taught on temptation. I for some reason unbeknownst to myself, have always thought of temptation as something that is easily seen, and therefore easily evaded. But what I am realizing is that temptation doesn’t just wrap itself in the “obviously” bad. No it is more cunning than that, often times it comes wrapped up in the desires of our heart. You know the trick the thing you want most in this world gets dangled in front of you, and all you have to do to get it is… As I am getting older, I am seeing the world in a way I hadn’t seen it before. I am learning to not just look at what’s in front of me, but also to search out and find what is hidden behind the choices that I make. Will my choices affect just me? Will it affect the people around me? Is it for the ultimate good? Or is it just self serving? Temptation is subtle and often times we miss it because it’s not dressed in a pitch fork with horns. My Pastor said this statement and I have been thinking about it all day: “God’s grace is meant for falling, not jumping.” Temptation means we jump, dive in head first without thought or consequence. Falling means just that…we fall into place with what was the plan all along. The lesson: Don’t just look at what’s in front, check behind it as well see where the rabbit hole really leads. If you get scared remember God’s grace will be there to make sure it all FALLS into place.

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

So what am I thankful for today? Learning to look for what’s behind. (Yeah, that made my brain go, “huh?” too… 🙂 )

Sep19

DAY 262

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The beauty of life is this: there is a reason for everything. (Picture by Lisa R.)

The beauty of life is this: there is a reason for everything.
(Picture by Lisa R.)

This will be a extra short post, my brain has officially stopped working. Today has been a long, long, loooong day! Geesh! I need a nap. it was non-stop from beginning to end. However, my personality loves days like this. I dislike being bored, I dislike that feeling of not having accomplished anything. It’s days like this that make me realize why what we do is so important. Here’s the lesson: On this journey we sometimes forget why our personal existence matters. Many times we compare and contrast. we look at others and wonder why we haven’t attained what they have. How come we are here and they are there? Today I realized why I was here and not somewhere else. This journey is transient where we are today, may not be where we’ll be tomorrow. Grow where you’re planted, find your reason for your current spot. Don’t look to others to define yourself. God has a reason for it all, He wastes nothing.

 

“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

So what am I thankful for today? Growing where I am planted.

Jul31

DAY 212

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Wake up, walk forward toward your future toward your goals...as God continues to write your story.

Wake up, walk forward toward your future toward your goals…as God continues to write your story.

Tonight my pastor said these words, “You can’t save time, once it’s gone, it’s gone.” He coupled that with this scripture, Ephesians 5:15-16, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Life can pass us by when we spend our time living in complacency. We don’t redeem the time. I got to thinking on the drive home tonight, how many opportunities I have missed because I thought to myself, “I’ll do it later.” But later never came, so that idea, that goal, that plan never was accomplished. Seize every opportunity now. Life is short, time runs out. So listen to this sage advise, “Never put off till tomorrow what can be done today.” The days are evil you may not get the opportunity tomorrow.

“Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15, NIV).

So what am I thankful for today? That there are more moments left to be seized.

Jul25

DAY 206

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The bars aren't meant to keep you out. No, sometimes they are saying...fight to get in. (Picture by Lisa R)

The bars aren’t meant to keep you out. No, sometimes they are saying…fight to get in.
(Picture by Lisa R)

I have been very lax lately in paying attention to the world around me. Probably because I have been too caught up in myself. But it hit me today as I spent a little time people watching, society at large is unhappy. People don’t smile. I smiled casually at someone as they passed by me, and I swear the look I was given made me feel like I came from another planet. To make matters worse I came home and found that one of my friends posted this on her FB page: “Feels unattainable.. slowly giving up the dream that wasn’t… blah” When did we (society) decide to give up hope? Dreams are meant to be pursued, not abadoned. In order to achieve them you have to try, and try, and try. There are very few people who attain their dreams on the first go round. Our dependency on technology and the “I want it now” philosophy has made us lazy. Lazy and fearful. We are afraid to fail and so we give up. Life is a classroom and anything worth learning will take effort and hard work (lots and lots of HARD work). We won’t always get it the first time. Most times not the second, third, or even fifth time either. But still we press on, still we push forward. If you have a dream…pursuit it. Better to have put your all in and fail, than to never try at all and wonder, “what if…”  “I’d rather attempt to do great things and blow it, than succeed at meaningless things and just get by” – Anonymous

 “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:10)

So what am I thankful for today? For dreams and the right to pursue them.

May8

DAY 128

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Life is like a tree it blooms or dies depending on how you feed it... (벚꽃 -sounds like pop-corn- Chenon S. Korea Picture by Joy Seo.)

Life is like a tree it blooms or dies depending on how you feed it…
(벚꽃 -sounds like pop-corn- Chenon S. Korea Picture by Joy Seo.)

“Be careful that your giftings don’t take you higher than your character will keep you” – Pastor Bob Coy. I have been thinking about this statement for several days now. Why? Because…well, it is honestly not something we really consider as we pursue “greatness”. As I watch the Lindsay Lohans and Brittney Spears of the world, I am beginning to see that the pursuit of the “good life” must be inline with who we are. We all want to be remembered for something. We want to leave a legacy, our mark on the world. So we push forward and chase our dreams, but we never stop to think, “Is this dream that I am running so fervently toward the best thing for me?” Can my character sustain? At the end of the day when it is all said and done, will I be proud of the person I turned out to be? Dreams are meant to be chased. They are meant to give us hope and aspiration. They are meant to teach us how to knock down walls and hurdle obstacles. They are the most amazing achievements in the world when they are what we are MEANT to accomplish. But often times we aren’t chasing “our” dreams. No, we are going after “the” dream. A dream not of our creation, a dream not in our genetic make-up. Instead, we chase the dream that society tells us we should be chasing. The result? We lose ourselves in the process. Ever achieved your goal and still felt empty? Hollow? Maybe it wasn’t yours to pursue. Achieving, growing, and pursuing are all God-given desires, and His plan is to have you achieve, grow, and pursue…in such as way that your character will be able to keep you.

So what am I thankful for today? That my giftings are akin to my character.