February 16, 2016
What are you Dreaming about
So many times people ask, especially in the church world,
What are you dreaming about? What are Gods goals and Dreams for you. What “Big“ thing is God stirring or birthing
inside of you?
I began to feel empty with these thoughts, overwhelmed that
maybe God wasn’t doing anything in me because honestly,…I didn’t have a
dream. I didn’t have a plan.
I began to seek and ask God what His master plan was, what
His thoughts for me were?
Every. Single. Time.
I kept hearing, “Love Me”
Yeah, yeah, yeah…I love you God. But what else? That’s not enough. Everyone has these Lofty goals, Big visions,
and passions? What about me? I want to be used by you!
“Love Me”
Why was I not satisfied with Gods answer to my question? Why
am I demoting Gods plan, purpose and dream for me? To Love Him. If I set out each and everyday with a plan to
Love God with every word, action, thought…. WOW that is a big plan. That is a
big Goal.
Chris and I were talking about this and he so wisely
said…”Mandy, you may not feel like you have a dream because you are living your
dream”
You see right now I AM
living my dream. As far back as my mind
can take me to my most vivid early color filled memories they all are filled with
me in some type of mothering caregiver role.
I have memories sitting in the corner of my yellow bedroom. YES- yellow
walls, yellow, bedspread, yellow curtains yellow canopy on my canopy
bed…surrounded with baby dolls, stuffed animals hugging them, singing to them,
rocking them, putting them to sleep even leaving my largest doll with red curly
hair and glasses in charge when I left the room! If I wasn’t in my room I was outside in my
playhouse using recycled pasta boxes and cans from my mom to fill my own pantry
and table with plates of spaghetti (grass) and bowls of grapes (rocks) with
chocolate pie (mud/dirt) for dessert.
God was shaping me and teaching me even as a little girl,
how to do what He created me to do. I
wasn’t in some kind of class, didn’t have a special degree, it just came
natural.
So as I continue to pursue Christ, I’m not going to force
myself to find a dream or a goal. I’m
going to make my best effort to do what He said. What HIS calling for my life is “Love
Him”
However, the more I say that, and think of that, I can
become overwhelmed. To do that right, to
live with purposeful Love for Him, the enemy can quickly try to make it feel
like such a HUGE goal, dream and task that makes me feel that I shouldn’t even
try for fear I’ll not measure up or simply fail. But that’s
a lie from the Enemy!
Loving Jesus is natural for me, easy for me…the more I love
Him, pursue Him, know Him, know His words, the easier it will be to recognize
ways I can love others more.
I love the Bible- John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said to
him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word; and My Father will Love him,
and WE will come to him and make our abode with him.
WOW- the trinity is making my heart its home… God is calling
me to love him so He can lead me.
Whatever opportunity that is right in front of my face, whoever comes
across my path God can and will use me as his vessel to Love.
So that folks, is my dream, my God calling “big” purpose…to
LOVE HIM.
If I love him I will keep his commands – John 14:15 “If you
love me, keep my commands”
John 14: 21 “whoever
has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my
Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them”.- did you catch
that? God will show Himself to me! I love that!
I understand that! I want to show
my own boys beautiful things like sunsets, the ocean, rainbows, a new plant
bursting out of the ground in the spring…God will show himself to me through my
opportunities to love, through me allowing others to love me, and through His
creation.
My answer to the churchy question- “What is Gods call and
dream for your life?”
Love Him. That’s
enough. At the end of my life if people
say anything of me, I hope they will say, “Mandy Haynes, Loved God well”
And Lord, may I daily allow you to Lavish your love on me (1
John 3:1)… LAVISH : Sumptuous, luxurious, colstly, expensive, luxurious,
elaborate, generous, fancy love.
Just like I long to cuddle and hug my growing babies, God
still wants to hold me. How can He hold
me? By reading his word, living in worship, stop trying to figure it out Mandy,
let God lavish His love on you. Love
moves, Love protects, love never fails love is strong. He is Love, without love (Him) I cannot do
anything, I am nothing. I will find Him in my everyday moments in my daily
opportunities when I say yes to what is in front of me.
His presence is Heaven to me!--- Now I need to go listen to
that song and Be Still and Know He is God and I welcome the Holy Spirit to make
its home in my heart!
