God-Given Dreams (Mother's Day)

“God-Given Dreams” Acts 16:9-15

Introduction

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To expose feelings is to risk exposing our true self; to place your ideas, your dreams, before the crowd is to risk loss. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying.

To hope is to risk despair. To try at all is to risk failure. But risk we must, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing; the man, the woman, who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, accomplishes nothing. (Author unknown)

Transition

Today we honor mothers and more than that, we honor all women. As men, we celebrate the women who are in our lives and the women who have shaped our lives. To the women who are present today… we honor your dreams today....

If you are here this morning and you are women… I hope that you will leave this place refreshed and encouraged to passionately pursue the dreams that God has planted deep inside of you. If you are a man here this morning… then I invite you to join with me in celebrating the God-given dreams that reside deep within the hearts of the women.

Dream of Being a Mother

Of all of the dreams that God has given to women it occurs to me that probably no other dream is of a higher nature than that of being a mother. A mother’s love for her children is, at times, nothing short of astonishing.

Illustration

I recently read a story found in the column of Erma Bombeck. She tells of God in the act of creating mothers. She says that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, “Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one.”

The Lord turned & said, “Have you read the specs on this model? She is supposed to be completely washable, but not plastic. She is to have 180 moving parts, all of them replaceable. She is to have a kiss that will heal everything from a broken leg to a broken heart. She is to have a lap that will disappear whenever she stands up. She is to be able to function on black coffee & leftovers. And she is supposed to have six pairs of hands.”

“Six pairs of hands,” said the angel, “that’s impossible.” “It’s not the six pairs of hands that bother me.” said the Lord, “It’s the three pairs of eyes. She is supposed to have one pair that sees through closed doors so that whenever she says, `What are you kids doing in there?’ she already knows what they’re doing in there.”

“She has another pair in the back of her head to see all the things she is not supposed to see but must see. And then she has one pair right in front that can look at a child that just goofed & communicate love & understanding without saying a word.”

“That’s too much.” said the angel, “You can’t put that much in one model. Why don’t you rest for a while & resume your creating tomorrow?”

“No, I can’t,” said the Lord. “I’m close to creating someone very much like myself. I’ve already come up with a model who can heal herself when she is sick - who can feed a family of six with one pound of hamburger - & who can persuade a nine year old to take a shower.”

Then the angel looked at the model of motherhood a little more closely & said, “She’s too soft.” “Oh, but she is tough,” said the Lord. “You’d be surprised at how much this mother can do.” “Can she think?” asked the angel. “Not only can she think,” said the Lord, “but she can reason & compromise & persuade.”

Then the angel reached over & touched her cheek. “This one has a leak,” he said. “I told you that you couldn’t put that much in one model.” “That’s not a leak,” said the Lord. “That’s a tear.”

“What’s a tear for?” asked the angel. “Well it’s for joy, for sadness, for sorrow, for disappointment, for pride.” “You’re a genius,” said the angel. And the Lord said, “Oh, but I didn’t put it there.”

Few wells are deep as a mother’s love for her family. Few river currents flow as swiftly as a mother’s forgiveness for her children. Seldom is the bond of affection as powerful and lasting as the connection of love between a mother and child.

Illustration

About 6:00 A.M. on a Wednesday morning James Lawson of Running Springs, California (in the San Bernardino Mountains) left home to apply for a job.