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As I sit here on this early morning, I wonder what I can say to you to begin to communicate the truth of the battle. To live it and know it is one thing. To put it in words is another.

We grow up with perfect and untainted dreams.

Not long ago, I heard a talk show host recalling her childhood aspirations – what she used to dream of becoming when she grew up. She said, “When you are a kid you think all things are possible.”

Hmmm. That statement struck me. Because I’m no longer a kid and yet the Word of God tells me all things are possible. Still, at age forty, all things are possible for me – and for you, and for the guy down the street. All things are possible (Mark 9:23).

Now, there is a little catch to it. All things are possible according to the will of God and you must believe in Him and His perfect will for you.

Within a half hour after I delivered Courtney, family members held her and prayed she would wake up and come to life. Until this very moment, I had forgotten all about that. But now I vividly remember sitting in bed, staring at them, thinking, “What are they doing?”

Call it a lack of faith – call it anything you want – but at the moment I was overcome with the ugly realization that this awful tragedy was part of the plan for my life.

I know there are several different schools of thought on the theology behind all of this “perfect will of God” stuff, with questions like, “Does He make the bad things happen or just allow them to happen?” I don’t know the answers. These issues are colored gray, but I do know this: He turns tears to joy and if we hold on tight to His promises and love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, then He will work it together for good (Romans 8:28).

Our dreams become tainted as adults because of the horrific circumstances we are forced to live in. There is no denying it. However, that doesn’t mean we lie down and quit. We have to fight a fierce battle to achieve them. And when all is said and done, the realization of our dreams might be a little different from how we originally pictured them, but according to His perfect plan for our lives, we can still live them.

So, I’m asking myself the following two questions as I write to you:

1.  What truth can I possibly convey to you today?
2.  Is it possible to say the right words to someone who is fighting the battle yet has forgotten the dreams they once held tight?

The only truth I have for you is Jesus. He has worked miracles in my own heart and life. He has proven Himself to me time and time again. The amazing part about that is He doesn’t have to prove Himself to me or anybody else. He is God. Yet He loves me enough to reveal to me the truth about who He is and the grace with which He covers me.

The only way that I or anyone else can speak the “right” words into a life is if the other person has an open heart to listen.

I don’t know where you are or how arduous your battle is. But what I do know is that He wants to penetrate your heart with His love regardless of what trial you are facing.  If you have breath in your body then you have dreams left to live. I bet some of those dreams haven’t even been uncovered in your heart yet. But the Father positioned them there strategically. He will give you the desires of your heart, because He placed them there at the beginning of time.

I’m not trying to sugarcoat your circumstances or puff you up with emotion. I’m trying to give you hope. Take it. Hold on tight to it, and never let it go!

May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose.

– Psalm 20:4 (NKJV)

Love,

Jennifer

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