“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.
About an hour later his thirty-six-year-old wife Patsy left for her fifth grade teaching job down the mountain in Riverside—accompanied by her two children, five-year-old Susan and two-year-old Gerald—to be dropped off at the baby-sitter’s. Unfortunately, they never got that far.
Eight and a half hours later the man found his wife and daughter dead in their wrecked car, upside down in a cold mountain stream. His two-year-old son was just barely alive in the forty-eight-degree water. But in that death the character of a mother was revealed in a most dramatic and heart-rending way.
For when the father scrambled down the cliff to what he was sure were the cries of his dying wife, he found her locked in death, holding her little boy’s head just above water in the submerged car.
For eight and a half hours Patsy Lawson had held her beloved toddler afloat and had finally died, her body almost frozen in death in that position of self-giving love, holding her baby up to breathe. She died that another might live. That’s the essence of a mother’s love.
Dreams for Her Family
What about the God-given dreams that live deep inside the heart of mothers for their families? So many moms do so much for their families. They work, clean, cook, clean some more, dust, fix broken toys… mothers are “jacks of all trades,” doing whatever needs to be done.
Illustration
A father was trying to explain the concept of marriage to his 4-year-old daughter. He got out their wedding album, thinking visual images would help, and explained the entire wedding service to her. When he was finished, he asked if she had any questions. She pointed to a picture of the wedding party and asked, “Daddy is that when mommy came to work for us?”
Mothers who invest into their families do not do so as servants… they do so as they empower the dreams of their families… as they live out the God-given dreams which live inside of them for their families.
Men, honor the dreams of the women in your life. Fill them with encouraging words; love them as the beautiful creations that they are. Honor them as the princesses – daughters of the King of Kings. Clothe them in respect.
Broken Dreams
For many of us Mother’s day is a wonderful time of celebrating the mothers in our lives… our moms, wives, sisters… but for many others Mother’s day is a day filled with mixed feelings. For some, it is even a day filled with sorrow.
What about the person who is not close with their mother? What about the person who has never known their mother? Or the woman who has always wanted a child, but has never been able to conceive… or has never was able to find a suitable mate? And what about the person who’s mother has moved from this life to the next… or the mother who has outlived a child?
For you, I offer the hope of knowing the peace and grace of God in your life which comes from relying completely on the grace giver of all dreams… Jesus Christ. Learn to trust Him as you go through each moment of each day of each week of your life. Open your heart to new dreams that He will fill you with.
If you’ve longed to be a mother, and have been unable… pray that God will show you new and creative ways to live out your dream. Perhaps children can still be in your life, through adoption or friendship. Perhaps you can look for a child in need of a loving woman in their life and be that love influence to them.
If you’ve never know your mother… pray that God will fill you with a sense of His love and compassion for you. You are His child, created in His beautiful image. You are of immense worth and extreme value. None of us were created by accident. The sovereign God of grace has a purpose in each of our lives and we are all created in limitless value and eternal significance.
If your mother has moved from this life to the next, rejoice in good memories of her. Remember laughter, remember hugs, remember fun times that you spent together and look forward to the day when we shall all be reunited with loved ones who have gone ahead of us to be with the Lord… remembering always that we honor their legacy best when we continue to be dreamers on their behalf – living as though tomorrow will come – and with it – newness of life.
If you are a mother who has outlived a child… my heart breaks for you… I weep with you and I mourn with you. You have no doubt felt loss on the deepest level. To you, I offer the very real hope that you will one day be reunited with your precious child… I offer you the very real and available grace of an almighty God of compassion and restoration… there is healing for your broken heart at the cross where the master of mercy sacrificed His life for yours.
Conclusion
To dream is to risk. To dream big is to risk much. To live out the God-given dreams in our hearts is to partner with God as we work to build His kingdom. God-given dreams are the light which guides our better tomorrows. God-given dreams are the beacons which guide into safe waters.
Let us be a people who embrace the God-given dreams which live deep in our hearts. The true measure of a person is not in the sum of their accomplishments, but in their capacity to dream.
Let us pray.
