The Life You've Imagined

I found this pillow in a store a few weeks ago.

the life you've imagined...

Honestly, I feel overwhelmed, blessed to be doing just that. 

But what did I imagine?

At one point, I imagined being a lawyer, driving a red Ferrari and being very rich, 

... and then I turned twenty-two and learned that I no longer wanted 

to be who I was creating myself to be.

I wanted to be who I was supposed to be.

And my imaginings changed to...

a husband who loves me

four children at my skirts

a home warm; a dog at my feet

writing a novel

friends loyal, funny, kind, authentic

camping, skiing, boating

prayer 

church on sundays

family

dinner together nightly

travel

serving

But HOW do you live the life you've imagined?

I don't know all the answers.

Problems, tragedy, illness, yuck...often gets in the way. 

But I do know that sometimes (most times)  the yuck is what you have to walk through to get there.

And I know that this...

give thanks in all things

... THIS is the thing that changes everything. 

And I know that stepping out in faith, taking a risk, not knowing if there is solid ground around the next corner, but stepping anyway out of sheer belief that His plans are good...

Well, that is a whole different level of walking and it brings blessings you can't even fathom. 

A life you wouldn't even have dreamed up because it would have been too audacious to have dreamed such a thing. 

Our pastor told a story this weekend about his daughter. They were on their way to Disneyland, tickets printed and in his back pocket. But, they had to stop at the mall on the way. And at the mall, there was a tiny carousel his daughter wanted to ride. He tried to explain where they were headed (she'd never been before). He described the magic kingdom in the most glorious words he could muster. 

But, she wanted to ride that tiny carousel in circles in front of a shoe store in a mall instead. 

He compared that to us. How God has so much to show us, but we get distracted by a tiny carousel in the mall in front of a shoe store and so we get on and ride it in circles, thinking that's all there is. 

All the while, God has so much more for us... a magical kingdom... that he can't wait to show us. 

But, often we'd rather just stay on our tiny safe carousel, going in small circles. 

I don't know about you, but I don't want to ride in small circles. 

I want it all. All of what He has for me in this life.

I want what I've imagined and what I wouldn't dare imagine.

And it's not a lot of money, or a Ferrari, or the perfect home.

It's doing every. single. thing. I was meant to do.

How about you?

What is the life you imagined?

If it's within your power, go after it. 

It can be as small as sitting down as a family for a meal

or saying a prayer

or creating art

or repairing something broken

or reading a book to your child. 

But please, if you've been stuck going in circles in a windowless mall, 

get off the carousel and step out in faith. 

LIVE THE LIFE YOU'VE IMAGINED.