The Seed of a Dream

A young student stood before his teacher's opened and extended hand. "What do yo see in my hand?" asked the teacher. 

After a brief moment the student replied, "I see garden seeds." 

The teacher paused, waiting for the student to amend his brief reply. 

Then he said, "Look again. What do you see?" 

The student's eyes lifted to meet the penetrating gaze of the teacher. "Seeds. Just some seeds," he finally said. "Nothing more or less . . . just some seeds." The teacher's eyes never lost contact with those of his young prodigy.

"And what would happen if I planted them?" he quizzed, attempting to draw out more than the student initially gave him. 

After only a brief moment, a grin appeared on the student's face. "Then that's where you'd really have something! That's when the seeds could become what they were intended to become," he replied, his grin widening. "You have to plant them for them to be useful. Otherwise, they will always just be seeds."

Every dream begins as a seed. Anyone can take something already developed and manage it. It takes a visionary to take the small thing and see what it can become with God’s help.

God delights to give us a small measure of something and watch us learn to trust him for the wisdom and insight to grow it into something of significance.

When we realize that the small thing we have has potential and opportunity for God to demonstrate how big he really is, only then do we understand the process of God’s development of his children.

He gives us things that have potential—seeds that can be grown into mighty oak trees—and expects us to be stewards over that potential. Every child of God receives the same opportunity to envision the possibilities and watch God demonstrate his awesome power.

We must have confidence, not only that he will allow the dreams he's placed in our heart to come to fruition, but that the pursuit of those dreams belongs to us as stewards.

Dare to dream big. After all, it is God who placed those dreams in our heart for a purpose. His design for our life manifests itself in the growing of those small seeds into something that pleases him and brings significance to our lives.

The Masterpiece of the Broken

"What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they're doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap--and charred stones at that?" Nehemiah 4:2

 God always seems to see the big picture. I am reminded of the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls under Nehemiah. Some of the rubble stones were even charred from fire and lay in a heap with the other stones. 

The workers who rebuilt the wall used everything, put the broken pieces back in place, and did not apologize for the way things looked. Obviously, it drew sarcastic comments from the detractors who were actually squatters and did not want the wall rebuilt. 

But the images I keep thinking about are the charred stones. 
Imagine what the wall must have looked like—charred stones intermingled with the clean ones, producing a speckled effect from a distance. In the end, it did not matter whether or not the stones carried a layer of soot produced by a destructive fire. It only mattered that they had not been discarded and were being used in equal amounts with the other stones. 

It must have looked like a patchwork of odds and ends, yet produced strength enough to accomplish the enormous objective of providing safety for those within its boundaries.

God uses the discarded, burnt-out remnants of humanity to achieve his masterpieces in the lives of those who call him Father. He uses the unlikely, the wounded, and the rejects to do what only he can do—produce a masterpiece whose ingredients are as unalike as possible—just to show he can. 

It's the Masterpiece of the Broken.

The Shadow of Discouragement

It comes silently and lurks just outside of our awareness. It waits patiently for the precise time, knowing it will come.

It cherishes its mission and is master of instilling doubts and fear in a healthy heart.

Its effectiveness is especially lethal during times of illness or fatigue as dropped defenses ensure easy prey.

It speaks to the heart of one who falters, insinuating God’s broken promises and disregard for one’s condition.

It lines the heart with doubt and infects the soul with poisonous lies.

It seeks to dim the awareness of God’s radiance and blocks out the rays of optimism and hope.

It boasts of futility and questions the resolve to finish at all—let alone the determination to finish strong.

It is a well-worn tool, used for centuries to pry into a man’s heart and deflate good intentions.

It clouds the purpose of a life and injures perspective. It blurs focus and inflicts double vision.

It is an overwhelming and ever-increasing weight hiding in the back-pack of responsibility.

Its price tag is easy credit with compounding interest.

It is the sound of a single note played at a deafening pitch, blocking out life’s melodies of joy.

It feeds on fruitless activities and misplaced priorities.

It convinces of the need to change venue without realizing the vision.

Its credentials boast countless successes in human failure.

It feeds on despair and punctuates disappointment.

It suggests the abandonment of goals and argues the validity of work ethic while dousing the heart with ice water.

It seeks to annihilate one’s future with promises of doom and disappointment.

It scoffs at the resolve to shake free and reinforces its hold on the hapless heart. It robs courage and peddles fear—replacing hope with the gloom of uncertainty.

It pastes itself like a poster in one’s heart and mind as a constant reminder of its presence.

It knows when to leave dormancy and sap existing life.

It is ever resourceful—constantly changing to blend with our lives and avoid detection.

Discouragement is the enemy’s “main drain” in the lives of those who are determined to go the distance but lack the stamina.

God knows all about the enemy’s strategy. He knows all about our weariness and disappointments. His strength sustains us through trials and fears. His great love compels us to receive His promises as relief from the assaults of the enemy. We have borne the yoke of discouragement far too long.

Psalm 55:22 tells us;

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Receive a promise—His promise—that will never be affected by the power of discouragement nor will it give way to an enemy who knows no mercy.