2/22/22
Hello Appreciated Person,
How are you doing? Do you have a dream in your heart that has been lodged there for quite a while, and you’re not sure why or where it came from? And wonder whether or not you have what it takes to attain it, or even if you want to?
Today’s post was originally written for a group of people that put on spiritual retreats. Some of us contribute devotionals/prayers that are intended to edify the others, and this is one of my more recent donations to the cause . . .
Hmmm . . . Hope.
I have much hope now but that hasn’t always been the case. There were many years avoiding it because whatever I hoped for seemed too elusive. It hurt too much to try to believe in something and then feel the crash when I decided that because what was desired wasn’t attained the moment and fashion I wanted, then it wasn’t going to happen.
Or so I thought.
I got into recovery from – well – stinking thinking and other effects of CPTSD and dissociation too many years ago to brag about. What’s been amazing lately is, as I’m attaining much more healing and faith, I’m remembering certain promises God had put into my heart when I first started on this journey. And what’s funny is, I rejected them almost immediately for a few reasons, a couple of which are: One, I didn’t realize they were from God, just thought they were random, unexplained and unwarranted imaginings, so I denied them. And two, I just couldn’t imagine me doing them – they were not what I had ever dreamed about accomplishing, or just seemed too ‘lofty’.
I had forgotten about the promises until recently.
(Probably when God laughed and said, “Told ya so, My Beloved Pearl!)
At this point I remember 6 of them (as I’m typing I’m remembering more – there were only three when I started). Two have happened. One was, I would be a teacher (say what???) working with teens (yeah, right!). I had envisioned standing up in front of a classroom of thirty teenagers, trying to get and keep their attention while ineffectively droning on about some subject they probably knew more about than I did.
There was also the nudge that I’d be a mental health advocate (I thought therapist at the time). But since I imagined that after listening to some of the clients’ stories, they’d have to talk me off the ledge, I immediately kinda laughed and thought, “NO WAY!”
So here I am decades later, and I’m 1) co-facilitating a support group for teen girl survivors and hearing their grim stories (and NOT contemplating suicide!) 2) writing a blog about being a survivor myself in order to speak up and advocate for those who haven’t found their voice yet; to reach out to others to not only give those who’ve gone through their own hell the hope and knowledge they’re not alone and worthy of doing all they can to heal; and also to educate those who haven’t so they might be able to understand a survivor’s psyche and have more compassion, less judgement. 3) getting increasingly involved with organizations that are working to stop sex trafficking (like WAR International) and 4) Helping a friend get her ministry to where it’s destined to be and learning much from her as I’m patiently waiting to get my own up and running.
Sometimes I can really get down on myself for taking so long to get to where I’m at, but when I consider that God made promises a looooong time ago that are now coming to fruition, I’m understanding that maybe God’s timing isn’t what we think it SHOULD be. And maybe, if we do take ‘side trips’ that weren’t initially in His plans, He doesn’t retract what He whispered into our hearts, He just keeps a hold of them until we are ready to receive them.
There are several other ‘dreams from God’ that I’ll mention when they happen. And what I love now is, even though it seems as if they must be lost causes (as satan is wont to keep telling me), I KNOW they’re still viable because GOD said so, and God keeps His promises.
(I’m w-a-i-t-i-n-g!!! :))
What dreams are in your heart that you may have (not completely) forgotten because you doubted the veracity of them? Maybe it’s time to reconsider why they were put there to begin with, and what you can do to work with your Higher Power to realize you’re worthy and capable of maintaining, receiving, and claiming them?
Dear Heavenly, all loving, knowing and powerful Abba, thank You for the dreams and promises You put in our hearts, and thank You for reminding us about them when the time is right. Make us believe so we can see, then believe in and receive when the opportunities we forgot or thought we lost, arrive, when You know we’re ready for them and in the way You know is best for us. In Jesus Name and Yes God! AMEN!
Saw this stripped-down-to-the-vocals (and isolated guitar moments!) version of “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey and it immediately imbedded itself into my heart – it’s so eloquently, beautifully and simply encouraging.. Hope this song will edify you, too.
