Keep On Dreaming!

Wouldn’t you know… with the temperatures forecasted into the high 60’s today, I opted to wear my shorts and heavy SF Giants hoodie on our morning walk… and once we were out and about… I realized that I had opted incorrectly!  By the time we hit the golf course, the white clouds that had been scattered around the sky came together and covered the sun.  It made for a dramatic sky but combined with the slight northeast wind… it was COLD!  Then, to make matters worse, Fiver decided that today was the time to stop and smell every square inch of ground along our path!

Tugging on the leash of a 65lb dog who doesn’t want to move, can get old real fast!  But nevertheless, we continued on our walk and actually had an enjoyable time… once we kept moving and I was able to generate some body heat against my cold chest!  It had looked and promised to be a rather nice day and I’d almost worn one of my lightweight hoodies instead of my heavy one!  Thank God as that might have forced us to turn back… and if you know me… I don’t like to turn back once I have set out on a forward pace!

And speaking of turning back… I recently realized that I have spent a fair amount of my time each day over the last few years since Piper’s promotion to heaven, looking back at what we had together.  And while the vast majority of it was wonderful… looking backwards is not necessarily going to help me in moving forward! 

Proverbs 29:18 is a verse of scripture that is very familiar to me and I can just about guarantee that every Bible that either Piper or I owned is underlined, highlighted or both when it comes to this particular Bible address.  It sort of reminds me of Piper’s family’s phone number.  It was a number that was very important that I memorized, and to this day, is one of the few telephone numbers that I still remember… because I called it a whole bunch of times and the response that I received from the receiving end was always encouraging, joyful and left me with a strong desire for more!

Proverbs 29:18 in the King James Version tells us that,

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” 

The more modern Passion Translation declares,

“When there is no clear prophetic vision, people quickly wander astray. But when you follow the revelation of the Word, heaven’s bliss fills your soul.” 

Many other translations like the New American Standard Version state,

“Where there is no vision the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law” or in New Testament terms, “happy is he who keeps the Word.”

As you all know by now… I am a DREAMER!  Always have been, always will be!  As I young kid I can remember lying in bed dreaming about all the things I could do as soon as the final bell rang on Friday afternoon… and have the weekend to do them on!  I would dream about my future and the things I could do, the places I could go and the professions I could find success in.  I’d even make up adventurous stories that starred me as the main character in my dreams!

But except for planning on fun things that my buddies and I could do all day Saturday afternoon (after I finished my chores), I was not self-confident enough to see the other dreams through into reality… until Piper and I started dating on that first day of our Senior year in high school.  She was a DREAMER just like me and similar to me, didn’t always have gumption to bring her DREAMS from thought into the here and now!  She definitely had the confidence that I lacked and great vision for the future, while I had been blessed with an uncanny ability to organize and plan things… So, together we quickly became an unstoppable force!

Proverbs 29:18 also quickly became a foundation and a force that strengthened us, encouraged us and empowered us to DREAM what many thought to be unattainable DREAMS and then follow them through until completion.  For Piper and I, the concept of NOT having a DREAM before us, was almost unthinkable!  Even as the ravages of the Alzheimer’s slowly stole her away from me, I continued to remind her about the things that we had DREAMED for our lives at that time and for all the new plans that I believed that the Lord was showing me for our future.

Lately I have gained a deeper, personal understanding of the part of this verse where the author wrote of how without a vision (or DREAM), “the people quickly wander astray or are unrestrained.”  I’ve noticed in my journey of discovery without Piper at my side, that a lack of vision or a DREAM has caused me to stumble a bit and lose sight of the diligence that I’ve always seemed to have in staying focused on the goals we had set before us.   It was like the restraint that I had always been able to engage was suddenly gone and it was getting way too easy to wander away from the self-discipline that has kept me on tract for the entirety of my adult life.

But over the last few months, the ability to DREAM seems to be returning to my emotionally stricken self-confidence!  The truth of Ephesians 3:20 where Paul thanked God for His power toward us to,

“…achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dreams, and (far) exceed your wildest imagination (and then) outdo them all…” (TPT)

has once again, begun to see the light of dawn in my heart… and you know what?  I like it!  I like the way it STIRS up that old spirit of ADVETURE, EXCITEMENT and the EXPECTATION of the Word of God working in, for and through me unto others!

Do you also know how that feels in your heart… in your life?  Well, you can… by simply beginning to pray and EXPECT Proverbs 29:18 to become an active participant and foundation of your daily existence.  In the world today, we see so many negative things happening with war in the Ukraine, inflation including ridiculously high gas prices and the cost of groceries rising, lawlessness in our cities and on our border and many other unimaginable government policies and agendas… but once again… YOU KNOW WHAT?  None of these things can stop or hinder God from being God in your life!

I keep hearing reports of Chrisitan ministries who actually increased during the recent pandemic when things were forced to shut down… and I firmly believe that God wants to do the same type of GOOD THINGS for YOU and ME!  Hallelujah!

So, continue to look to Him for your strength, your directions and your DREAMS… and then NEVER stop EXPECTING Him to complete the VISION that He put into your heart!

It all sounds pretty exciting, doesn’t it?  I sense that 2022 is going to be another, yet much stronger and more often manifested year of positive FIRSTS for both YOU and Me!  (See: Luke 5:26)  Wouldn’t you agree with me!  Don’t ever stop DREAMING but instead, keep believing and trusting in Him and you’ll see your DREAMS come to fruition in your life!

Have a great weekend, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life!