Lately my husband and I have been doing lots of dreaming. Some of our dreams have been about farming one day. Some of them have been about having a house of our own rather than our apartment. Some of them have just been about having a yard and garden to play and work in. I come up with crazy ideas, and my husband wisely helps me think them through. We have spent hours on realty sites looking at homes and land in our area, and hours talking about what we can do to make our dreams financially possible.
I love planning and hoping with my husband…he is my best friend, and we so enjoy thinking about our future together! It’s fun thinking about having a farmhouse, a big garden, lots of kids running around, and beautiful golden fields of wheat all around us. However, if I’m not careful, dreaming can have some negative side effects on me. I forget about now, and I can tend to grow discontent…so as we dream, there are some truths that I need to keep in mind.
First, I need to remember my story. You can read the whole version by following my link, but the essence is that God, through the person and work of Christ, has saved me from my sins, declared me to be righteous in His sight and given me an inheritance in Heaven for all of eternity. The upshot of which is that whatever happens or doesn’t happen in my lifetime, the best has already happened (when I became a Christian) and is also yet to come (eternity in Heaven). So if a farm, or even a house with a yard, never happens…it will be ok, because that’s not all there is.
Also, I need to remember the sovereignty and goodness of God. Man lays his plans, but the Lord directs his steps, Proverbs says. So as much as we plan and dream (nothing wrong with that), I need to ultimately lay the future into God’s hands, and trustingly leave it there. God is so, so good! He loves us, and will take care of us, and will accomplish His plan, which is always best. So I don’t need to fret about the future or be angry if it doesn’t turn out the way I want it to, because God’s got everything under control, in His love and wisdom. Along those same lines, since God is sovereign over everything, that means that my husband and I are living in an apartment in the middle of town for a reason. I don’t want to miss what God has for us to do right now.
Finally, I need to remember my purpose. My purpose is to live in a way that pleases the Lord…and I can do that in an apartment, on the streets, on a farm or the big city…wherever. And as long as the Lord is pleased, everything will be ok. I have a home to take care of, right now. I have a husband to love, right now. There are people around me to be loved, encouraged, befriended, and shown the gospel right now.
So, we’ll see where all our dreams take us…and I’ll continue to curl up with my husband and imagine the future. And…with the time that I have in the place where I am, I will be seeking to please my Lord.