Baby Dreams

I look at babies, and I'm amazed. They have so much potential. We have so many dreams for them. They can achieve anything.

Babies.

Isaac Newton was once just a little baby. Rosa Parks, once a little baby. Thomas Edison, once a little baby. Joan of Arc, once a little baby. Walt Disney. Mother Teresa. Abraham Lincoln. The Apostle Paul. The list goes on and on. They were all just little babies. Little babies who eventually did incredible things.

We kind of accept that little babies will grow up and be able to do incredible things because that is the way things work. Every great thing this world has ever experienced has been done by someone who was once a baby. Most achievements worth mentioning started as an impossible dream that wouldn't have happened without someone being committed to bring it about.

At Christmas time, we celebrate the baby Jesus. The coming of God into this world. The humble act of taking on flesh and blood despite deserving worship and grandeur. At Easter, we remember the sacrifice of that grown God-man. We celebrate his suffering and pain through the window of the resurrection.

Jesus died on the cross, yet He struggled with it. When His end was near, Jesus didn't want it. Like we often feel when tough times hit, He wanted to give up. Just like you may find yourself right now, wanting to give up.

But Jesus didn't just die to forgive our sins. He rose again to give us the newness of life.

The Bible gives us glimpses of that time before the crucifixion. Let us go to the gospel of John and look at that time of great struggle.

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine.  Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:27-32 (ESV).

Jesus, when he was lifted up on that cross, drew all people to him. You have received the call. Will you follow? Will you respond to that sacrifice with the commitment it is calling you toward?

Will you give up - give up on your dreams, give up on your own passions, give up on your own plans - whatever they may be.... And follow?

Jesus is drawing us all into a new life. A life where our primary concern is to love God and love our neighbors. And he has paid the price to make that happen. We just have to respond by giving Him our all. Not just to follow Him when there is nothing better to do. But to follow Him no matter what the cost. No matter what others may think of us. No matter what He calls us to do.

This doesn't mean that we have to become a monk who has taken a vow of poverty and move to the hills. That actually would be easier. It means that we have to love God and love our neighbor in everything we do, wherever find ourselves, even in the difficult situations, in the here and now.

Imagine if we started living in the realization that God loves us. That He has called us to something more faithful. And that being who He wants us to be is possible even when it seems impossible. It's possible because God has called us to it, and He will provide the strength to do it. As long as we are committed to Him, His plan for our life can become a reality.

Our God doesn't lack for power. He lacks of nothing that is needed. He waits for faithful, committed people to pour His power through.

You may be saying, but you don't know me. You don't know what I've done. You don't know what I think. You don't know what I struggle with. God can't use me.

And you're right that I don't know. But God knows. And He still loves you. He still calls you. He still has plans for you. You don't have to be perfect. You have to be willing. You don't have to have it all together. You just have to be committed. You don't have to have it all figured out. You have to be faithful.

To save all of us is why He came, lived, died, and rose again. Like a baby being born can achieve incredible things, we can achieve amazing God things when we allow God to give birth to His dreams in us. When we are faithful even in our darkest hours.

Where Am I Headed?

origins from Robert Showalter on Vimeo.

It’s not about where we came from. It’s about where we are going. 

Maybe you come from a bad childhood. Your parents were hostile, maybe abusive. You were possibly neglected.

For everyone that lets their past dictate their life, you can also find those who overcame. 

Tracy McMillan, who has written episodes for Mad Men, Life on Mars, and other television shows, grew up with a drug dealing pimp named Freddie for a father. Freddie, a convicted felon, spent most of Tracy’s childhood behind bars. And her mom was really no better. She was a prostitute who gave Tracy away. But Tracy made something of herself despite the circumstances. 

In an article on CNN.com, 7 tips for moving past a rotten childhood, Tracy McMillan wrote:

“There are two ways for me to look at my childhood story. In one, I'm a person who is so unloved and unwanted, my own mother gave me away.

In the other, I was born, took a look around at my prostitute mother and criminal father, and said to myself, "I can totally do better than this. Get your stuff, we're leaving." In one I'm a victim, in the other, I'm in power.

Guess which viewpoint got me the career I have today?”

Most of us have bad events in our past. Some like to pretend that their past is the worst past imaginable. And for one person, that is right. Their past is worse than everyone else's. For the rest of us, we can recognize that we are not alone.

Our bad events may not be from our childhood, but they’re still there. We can’t ignore them. From time to time, the memories and emotions creep their ugly cesspool-laden heads out and try to destroy us. The memories are used in an attempt to get us to focus on the pain and mistakes of the past rather than the plan and calling God has place on our lives. 

But God has a plan for you, and he has a plan for me.

It’s not about where we came from. It’s about where we are going.

The past is useful in that it instructs us if we allow it to. It shows us how we arrived where we are at. If we allow ourselves to look at our past without prejudice, we will then discover the mistakes we made that have distracted us from where we are supposed to be. Mistakes we should learn to not repeat. We will also see the great things that freed us from sin, depression, and/or hopelessness. Great things we should turn into regular practices in our life. It is only through what we have learned in the past and the Holy Spirit’s guidance that we know how to live in the now. 

So where are you headed? Are you headed backward? Or are you headed into the beautiful landscape God designed you for?

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)