From Susan Hillis:
I wake up, feeling immense relief welling up inside, at the magnificent resolution of a monumental problem. Then I realize, "Oh, it's all a dream."-- Or, is it?
- I am at a conference of 10,000's of people, and I am about to speak (like the Passion Conference I wrote about at the Georgia Dome where 60,000 young people gathered.) I've lost my bright aqua blue skirt! I had laid it down on the back of some chair as I was juggling my stuff and now cannot find it.
- I then madly try to find clothes and shoes in the hotel closet. I find a brown dress in the closet there that looks nice but the only shoes that work are beige tall boots that are a little scuffed -- but they'll do, I decide.
- Finally dressed,realize I've lost my purse with my flash drive -- so don't have the prepared talk that I am supposed to give to this crowd! I go to a basement room full of computer docks, with about 80 or so speakers sitting at them -- I walk the aisles looking for my name, "Hillis," on the list of names taped to the upper left of each screen, and I can't find it. Finally, I find a desk with an attendant, who goes to a set of drawers, for which she references a master list of names and numbers -- "the H's are behind 216," she says. Then she shows me section 216 is a small drawer; it has about 3 inches of horizontally placed business cards behind it -- so I search for my name, but can't find it.
- Finally I STOP.
- I realize all I've lost -- clothes, shoes, purse, flash drive, talk, any record to retrieve my talk -- and I wonder.
- "Maybe God wants to replace what I've lost with something better."
- Then I see, remembering in my dream what God has been teaching me lately, "He already has given you a better replacement...He has given you the Galatians message -- called to adoption, and the word message-- 'you are pillars.' Just use what He has given you."
Lord, reveal to me Your message through this dream today (I do not see all dreams as messages but I did see and sense that this one had a message). I see several:
- The Galatians message is in fact sooo exciting! Starting in just chapters 1 and 2: we, like Paul, experience
A Connection (at the right time, with other solid believers whom God uses in our lives)
A Confirmation (through other believers of God's call to us)
A Crucifixion (I am crucified with Christ)
A Change (YET I LIVE!).
- And the pillar message is this: We live life as God's pillars -- strong, tall supports for God's work in process in our spheres of influence. Though we must be connected with other pillars in order to be safe and effective, we must remember that our essence is that we reach heavenward, connected most foundationally to our heavenly Father.
- And I decide, with this bubbling relief, that there is immeasurable excitement when we live with eyes to see that God has already given, replacing what we lost with something better. And I for one, will praise Him!
Lord, thank you that you replaced my self-dependence with
a better dependence on You.
Lord, thank you that you replaced my plan for my life with Your better plan for my life.
Lord, thank you that you replaced my view of family with Your better view of family.
Lord, thank you that you replaced my view of greatness with Your better view of greatness.
Lord, thank you that you replaced my view of my identity with Your better view of my identity.
Lord, thank you that you replaced my view of people with Your better view of people.
May we all have eyes to see in life what I saw so vividly in my dream, with only one change: It is not maybe God wants to replace what I lost with something better. It is this: Definitely, God wants to replace what I lost with something better. Because of this, we do not fear losing all. What we should fear is only losing some. Like the plaque I saw this week end at the Gwinnett Historical Country Courthouse at a dear friend's wedding, hung in a small section which memorialized soldiers from the County who had fallen in the line of battle, it had only six words....3 on the first line, 3 on the second, and it read:
ALL GAVE SOME
SOME GAVE ALL
And I, for one, praise You that when I look at life, generally I see, by God's grace, He has placed me in the second category more than in the first. That is, when we are willing to give or lose all, what we receive back from our Lord is infinitely and predictably.....better. Not just better.....it is best. Best for His kingdom and His glory and His purposes in His world, upheld by His love and His power.
If you have time before you move on with your day, take a few minutes to listen and join in with Chris Tomlin's wonderful song-- LAY ME DOWN
"I lay me down, I'm not my own, I belong to You alone....
Lay me down, lay me down...
Ohohoh...hands on my heart, this much is true:
There's no life apart from You...
(and because of this, we sing the bridge:)
It will be my joy to say,
YOUR WILL, YOUR WAY,
It will be my joy to say,
YOUR WILL, YOUR WAY,
It will be my joy to say,
YOUR WILL, YOUR WAY,
ALWAYS!!!!
Amen.
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