Sunday, September 26, 2010

"bows and flows of angel hair"

dear emily,

i love the fact that though i am frail, impetuous, and self centered, the Lord
is never disillusioned with me.  as the saying goes, "He never had any
illusions to start with."  i also know that every moment spent with Him
softens and fills in those rough edges and empty spaces.

He might not have had any illusions, but i sure did!  i thought i could be
the perfect wife and mother.  joni mitchell summed it up nicely, "i really
don't know life at all."




i wonder how many of my unrealistic expectations hindered my most
precious relationships?  what made me think i could expect 'that' of him
or her?  "many of the cruel things of life spring from the fact we suffer
from illusions." (oswald chambers)

on the other hand, susan boyle had a dream and now is singing in front
the pope.  joseph of the many colored coat saw each of his dreams
fulfilled but waited years in prison for them.

maybe we should dream our dreams and then offer them to the Lord.  i
imagine the ones that could really 'be' will get offered back.  "God is
most glorified in me when i am satisfied in Him" (john piper) . . .

whether or not all my dreams are realized.

love,
lea

"in the last days, God says, i will pour out my Spirit on all people.  your
sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your
old men will dream dreams."  acts 2:17

37 comments:

Southern Lady said...

What a lovely post! I need to give my dreams to the Lord. I have given him everything else. I guess I have never thought about what to do with my dreams. Carla

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I am happy to have God on my side because I really don't know life at all either.

Farm Girl said...

Just lovely, I agree and I thank you for the well thought out and very sweet post. I think why I love Susan Boyle, because God can take any life and make it a magic one.

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

We are all such a 'mixed bag', aren't we? It is always such a relief to me that God both knows me and even more amazing... understands me, often when I don't understand myself! :( .. and beyond all of it... He chooses to work with me and teach me... how blessed we are!

highheeledlife said...

What a wonderful post ! Dreams help us to work towards going forward ... the end result however is in His hands.

I sometimes think back to dreams, that I thought had been left unrealized or prayers unanswered ... Then I say I would not be on this wonderful journey of self re-invention had I recived all I "wanted" ... somehow I have always been given what I need! He knows us best ... for we are here because of him..
XO HHL

koralee said...

Love your words today....you know that is my favourite song..both sides now...I could listen to it all day long.

hugs for a great new week...

Single and Sane said...

Beautiful post. The best thing about our dreams is that no matter how big they are, God is able to do immeasurably more than all can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Gives me chills to think about it.

Lana Manis said...

Dear Lea ~ no matter when I visit your blog, there is always something here to comfort my heart, make me laugh, or give me hope. Thank you for sharing. :)

Maria said...

Hi Lea!
I love that song... Joni Mitchell is one of my favorite artists.
Our dreams are a powerful tool...

Oh and I love Debby@Just Breathe's comment!

~have a lovely week~
Maria

June said...

You write so beautifully Lea, that I can easily get lost here when I visit. This post is a wonderful example.
Thank goodness that God knows us better than we do ourselves!
hugs

Julie Harward said...

Hi, thanks for your visit. A lovely post...God can do all things and I am so glad! :D

Joan Elizabeth said...

A thought provoking post. After the lofty dreams of my youth I am now less inclined to reject the simple and ordinary as not good enough. I think that is one of the comforts of getting older.

Unknown said...

Lea I knew you had to like Joni. Take a review listen to "The Circle Game." I played and sang that at PTA luncheon for hayleys graduation from Eliot! Still makes me cry. Want me to email it to you? Or just get it off iTunes but do the original version. Older is better!!!

Darcie said...

This post reminded me so much of my prayers when I thought about adopting from China. I am so thankful God offered back that dream, because our sweet Kinzie has been such a blessing. Great post!

Sandy said...

I love what you're saying here
today, Lea. The quotes from Piper
and Chambers are so true. And
Joanie was right. We really don't
know a lot about life and living.
Thank God He knows everything and
has promised to be our Guide to
the end. This was a truly God-
inspired post. Thank you.
Love,
Sandy

Vee said...

Oh I loved this and read it aloud to my mother with this word, "This is why I read blogs."

Recently, while watching that Peter Marshall movie, I heard the line: "Our deepest desires were given to us by God."

And I love your thoughts about giving back those precious dreams to Him whether He returns them to us or not.

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Yes and Yes!!!!
So much truth in this one post, I don't know where to start!!!
Oh, expectations...my poor kids, how many I put on them, not to mention my husband.
Dreams...oh, so many crushed and yet they weren't His dreams or He would have brought them to past...but then again, He isn't finished.
I am sure Moses thought he was finished when he ran into the desert after he murdered the Egyptian...then God brought him back in his old age to fulfill the dream!!
He isn't finished yet!!!
Great Post for a Monday!!!!

~*~ saskia ~*~ said...

Lovely post, as always, Lea.
Do have a sweet Monday, it's early evening in my corner, off to make a cup of evening tea, think I will choose Earl Grey ;D
xoxoxo

~*~ saskia ~*~ said...

Lovely post, as always, Lea.
Do have a sweet Monday, it's early evening in my corner, off to make a cup of evening tea, think I will choose Earl Grey ;D
xoxoxo

Anita Diaz said...

Oh Lea, thank you for this today!! We are having so much trouble in our church right now with people wanting things their way and missing the point of reaching people for Christ, and we desperately need your prayers:-) Our dream is for Him to use us however He wants.

Jodie | Velour said...

Good stuff. I need to read things like this fairly often because I have a strong tendency to get all twisted up and thrunchy because of expectations. AKA illusions, or disillusions. Works either way! :)

Unknown said...

I appreciate this so much, have been traveling and off my prayer schedule, so I needed this a lot! XX!

myletterstoemily said...

jodie: thrunchy? hee hee!

Cheri Bunch said...

Timely word for me, Lea. I will think upon these things. ~ Cheri

Janean said...

this went along with the message Sunday at church.

lovely post.

lovely photo.

Maria said...

Yes, we do love the heavens!
~ we sing similar songs too ~
Here is where I posted a Sky Watch using "Both Sides Now"
When I see "angel hair clouds" that song always comes to mind ♫
What fun it is to find friends everywhere!
~wishing you beautiful skies~
*Maria

tina said...

What a beautiful thought and post to offer up our dreams and perhaps they'll come back to us.

Kim's Treasures said...

Beautiful post! Nothing wrong with dreams...God knows what we need and will fulfill our dreams according to His will.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Bree said...

Sweet Lea,
Thinking of you a lot lately-praying you are well. He knows the desires of your heart. He also knows the perfect timing. "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11
Bless you, may you find joy and contentment in where He has you, has brought you and is bringing you! He is a great and mighty God who is doing a great and mighty work in you and will continue it until completion-Amen!
Praying :)
With love,
Bree

Vickie said...

Great post, Lea - I love that comment you quoted...

Me, too, about November Christmas posts. They're all wonderful, but I'm going to try real hard not to even think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Give Thanksgiving its due. It's my favorite holiday cuz I have SO much to be thankful for!

Deborah Ann said...

Lovely, Lea! Where did you find that gorgeous pink cotton candy cloud picture?

We must be on the same cloud, I'm feeling the exact same way. Dreaming....

Linda... said...

Thanks foryour nice comment on "making special friends" on lindalovesblog. I am now following you and am enjoying reading your 'letters to Emily". Have a great night.
http://lindalovesblog.blogspot.com

Cheri Bunch said...

Hi Lea~ I replied to your sweet comment on my blog this morning. You are so special. Your encouragement means more than you know.

Love you,
Cheri

Theresa said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. You have a beautiful blog here.

Deborah Ann said...

You took that picture? Cool. I took the cloud picture on my post too. (Hee hee)

Kate said...

wonderful post. thank you lea.

Bree said...

I love this post :) I just reread it and understood it completely different than the first time (hence, a completely different comment now.) Thank you for sharing your seasoned wisdom-it blesses my heart-especially in "the thick of it" times! God is so good! Now, I must go as a little foot is trying to kick the computer (or my cheek)-the acrobats of a nursing baby boy!
Hugs!