Villagersonline : blogs : lizzies : a garment of praise!

From: lizzies
Date: Sun Apr 25 11:23:55 EDT 2010
Subject: a garment of praise!

Responses
kelsea: my dreams (4/25/10)

lizzies: No Subject (4/26/10)

Laelia: Thank you! (4/26/10)

lizzies: No Subject (4/27/10)

rodhugen: my dreams (4/28/10)

Responses (sorted by date)
rodhugen: my dreams (4/28/10)
lizzies: No Subject (4/27/10)
Laelia: Thank you! (4/26/10)
lizzies: No Subject (4/26/10)
kelsea: my dreams (4/25/10)

This morning I was looking back at a Bible study written by Beth Moore I did ten years ago and God showed me something huge!
The lesson I reviewed came from Isaiah 61:3:". . . to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor" . The author of the Bible study was addressing childhood dreams. She suggested that most women have similar dreams including "to be beautiful", "to be a bride", "to be fruitful", "to live happily ever after".
I found these quotes and my responses in the margin:
"Until we surrender our hopes and dreams to Christ, we really have very little way of knowing what would fulfuill us" and "An unhappy woman usually needs a change of heart more than a change of circumstances". In the margin I wrote:
"What are my hopes and dreams? 1. TO BE MARRIED, 2.TO BE IN FULL TIME SERVICE, 3. TO GO OVERSEAS, 4. TO HAVE A CHILD, 5. TO BE BEAUTIFUL, 6.TO OWN A HOME"
I stand amazed! GOD KNEW that 10 years later my dreams would all be fulfilled! I am married to a man who thinks I am the most beautiful woman in the world. We are in full time ministry together. I've been on mission trips overseas to 6 different countries. I have not one but THREE children. And this year God gave us our first home together. God not only longs to fulfill our dreams but to SURPASS them!
Sometimes I still cry to God about the desire of my heart that I think He's not giving me, but today I fall on my knees before God in repentance and awe! Forgive me God, for not always making You my first delight, because in YOU I already have all I desire! (Psalm 37:4). "I don't believe God allows surrendered hearts to continue to long for things He will not ultimately grant in one way or another". He longs to be gracious to us. He rises to show us compassion.
In the words of a great hymn: "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness... His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood. When all around my sould gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. On Christ the solid Rock I stand..."
What are your hopes and dreams? How have you seen God fulfill them or what are you still asking Him for?

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From: kelsea
Date: Sun Apr 25 15:07:15 EDT 2010
Subject: my dreams

Liz, thanks so much for posting this! I think that having dreams is a key part of having faith and hope that God will do good things in your life. Here are some of my dreams right now, in no particular order:
1. To be married
2. To travel overseas with my husband
3. To have a home that is fully accessible to me
4. To have a child
5. To feel certain that I'm doing the right thing in life
6. To feel comfortable with my disability

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From: lizzies
Date: Mon Apr 26 00:01:56 EDT 2010
Subject:

Kelsea. I love your list! I can't wait to see how God "delivers" you the desires of your heart!

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From: Laelia
Date: Mon Apr 26 03:49:20 EDT 2010
Subject: Thank you!

I desperately needed to read this tonight, Liz, so thank you so much for posting it! Last semester, I realized a whole list of dreams, spoken and unspoken, that God had answered. Most of the dreams were ones I thought were "secondary" or more "impossible" than some more prominent desires I had had so I was incredibly amazed that God had gone beyond my wildest dreams and fulfilled things I never knew would enrich my life so much! When I got to the end of your post, I realized that I haven't gone to God with any of my new dreams or allowed myself to dream again! I wonder if that is why I have been feeling so purposeless and directionless lately.
Here are the dreams I had as a young girl/woman that God has ANSWERED in the past couple years (PRAISE GOD!!!!!):
1. To study and learn new kinds of dance and art
2. To learn how to train and ride horses
3. TO be a writer
4. To find a church in Tucson where I feel truly at HOME
5. To be free to live in one place and not have to worry about moving endlessly
Here are some long-held/sort of new desires that I choose to re-dream:
1. To be a women's speaker
2. To find a strong, loving, godly man as my husband
3. To play and sing more and more often
4. To use my creative writing and music skills to write music
5. To be able to travel and see new places more often while making a home here in Tucson

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From: lizzies
Date: Tue Apr 27 01:07:43 EDT 2010
Subject:

Oooo! this is a good list too! I hope I get to know you as you discover all of these "dreams come true" in God's plan for you!

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From: rodhugen
Date: Wed Apr 28 11:24:54 EDT 2010
Subject: my dreams

In order to give me my dreams, God had to crush some along the way. I dreamed of being the president of the large automotive parts wholesaler. I dreamed of being a jockey. You laugh, but I loved horses and read about horses and was generally nuts about horses. I dreamed about being able to sing and play musical instruments. All the dreams sounded good and were indeed the longing of my heart at the time. God said no. It was and is still a sometimes painful reality that he said no to those longings.
He says no because he has a better plan. A better dream. He crushed the running the large business dream in order to allow me the grace to walk away and become a pastor. I remember the first time I preached and how powerful the feeling was that I was doing what I had been designed to do. I remember wanting to do it until I die. I remember dreaming up the Village. It was years before I met Eric or was even living in Tucson. Back then I wrote something to the effect that I longed to see a coffee house/church rising out of heart of Tucson where the broken, hurting, struggling folks could come and through the creative use of music and art and the preaching of God's word, find life in Christ and rich community with each other. God gave me that dream in a huge, wonderful way. I remember first waking up and remembering that dream. It was a sweet time to go back and look at what I had longed for and realize that God had given it to me in ways that I did not receive the 'credit' for it. Pretty cool.
Dreams don't stop. I dreamed about creating multiple churches like the Village--each a unique expression of the faith of the people that are gathered, each sharing values and each encouraging the others. I talked about that years ago and now it is coming true.
I remember not daring to dream. I remember shutting down the dreams that were too scary. I remember thinking it was foolish to dream impossible dreams. I have let people talk me out of my dreams and pretended that it wasn't painful. I remember casting about in my loneliness when God said no to what I longed for and most wanted. I remember trying hard to believe that good things came from his hand in those moments. Despite all that, I choose to dream and dream again. I choose to believe God is good even when he doesn't provide me with what I thought I needed or wanted. I have discovered that his ways are better than my ways.
In the end, I know God's grace. And it is far more than enough.
Rod

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