Dreams

Dreams. Not the kind you have when you are sleeping. I'm talking about the goals, visions, desires of your heart.

A dear friend has a blog about Being Single. She wrote yesterday about comments, advice, and self-help books that deal with finding a husband. She inspires me to consider possible effects my words may have that I don't intend.

But beyond the marriage issue, I think she addresses a universal theme, particularly universal to women, that of trusting God with our dreams. She says, "I think the more important question for singles to face is whether you can trust God even if that dream [being married] doesn't come true. Can I trust God for what He has for me now and seek to live out His purpose for my life right now. Can I find contentment in my circumstances as they are?"

Those are appropriate questions for all of us. Can I trust God with my dream and if my dream doesn't happen? I have faced those questions many times as each stage of life has brought new dreams.

In college my dream, like Michelle's, was to be married (O, the nights she & I spent discussing our lack of dates!). A week after graduation God fulfilled that dream for me. Next came the dream of children. After four years of marriage my husband still wasn't sure he was ready for children. I finally surrendered that dream to God. Three days after our 6th anniversary He fulfilled my dream again.

Sometimes God has said no to my dreams. Like my heart's desire to experience the vaginal birth of each of my children. After three tries this hasn't happened. Childbirth education and lots of prayer didn't change God saying no to this dream.

Right now God has said wait to a number of my heart's desires and not given an answer on others. Birthing more children, adopting children, a bigger house (to go with more children), living close to family, and moving back to the South are just a few.

Michelle has reminded me to trust God with these desires. And to seek His desires for the circumstances I am in now. Namely to be the mom, wife, & friend He wants me to be to my husband, the children He's already given me and the friends in my life here in Rhode Island.
Who knows? Maybe He'll fulfill some of these dreams, also.