Dear God,

Today is Monday, August 1, 2016, and “I had a dream.”  I know it was You speaking to me, drawing me out of the mire of despondency that I’ve found myself in lately.  The enemy whispered lies, and I believed them.  But then You spoke.  First, you spoke through Pastor Glen Osborne yesterday.  You spoke through a sermon I almost missed because I didn’t want to go to church.  But Jeff prevailed and out the door we went.  Thank you, God!  Glen’s sermon was about the seasons of life and his main scripture was from Ecclesiastes.  I could feel my throat tightening and the tears stinging as he read the verses, “a time to be born and a time to die.”  They hit too close to home.  I’ve been sensing mortality – in my loved ones and in myself.  But God gave me hope through Pastor Glen’s words – a tiny spark.  And last evening, for the first time in months, I had “lives” in my Facebook games and I didn’t want to play them.  I found myself desiring more.  Real life, not games on a computer.  Thank you, God.  And this morning I woke before 6am from a dream that inspired and encouraged me.  A dream that could be real – a life where my finances, my time and my health, are ordered and in control.  I awoke with hope, and a desire to change.  Not to be a “slug” as I told my mom I felt like last week, but to be the best me I can be, for whatever time I have left.  The best daughter, the best wife, the best mother, the best friend.  Not seeking perfection, but seeking to live life to the fullest.  Without fear, without shame, without chains.  As the enemy whispers lies to us and we start to believe them, he wraps us in cocoons of self-incrimination and self-doubt.  Those lies become our new truth and we become imprisoned by them – “things will never change,” “the best parts of your life are over,” “it’s all downhill from here.”  All lies.  Thank you, God, for helping me see that the cocoon of lies was becoming a sarcophagus.  But, no more!  You are the giver of life and your Word is true.  Yes, there are seasons of life, and some are painful, but we are not made to stay in one season and live there.  Life is continually changing and we must change with it.  Life is ephemeral, a mist.  And meant to be enjoyed.  Yes, there will be difficulty, trouble – maybe every day.  But there is joy!  Joy in the love of family – parents, spouses, children and, God-willing, grandchildren. And joy in knowing that this not all there is.  An eternity in Heaven awaits God’s children.  The only thing we take with us when we leave our earthly dwelling is our soul.  The shell is left behind.  But while we’re here, that shell is ours to care for.  It is the dwelling place of the Almighty God — the Holy Spirit.  Instead of watching this life pass me by, I’m ready to get back into the game.  As Pastor Glen said yesterday about learning to ride a motorcycle in his 60’s – now he knows why dogs stick their heads out car windows.  Rest assured, I’m not ready to jump on a motorcycle, but I am ready to start living again.  It’s time to shed the cocoon and spread my wings because God has a plan for my life.  And as long as I draw breath, He has a purpose for me.  Help me, Father God, to seek Your will and Your way each day.  I don’t want to sit on the sidelines and watch life pass me by.  I want to be like my parents, who are in their 80’s, and who do more in a day than most people do in a week.  Thank you, Mom and Dad, for a wonderful example of living life to the fullest.  And thank you, Pastor Glen, for your message of hope.  And thank you, God, for still speaking to us in dreams.  And loving us, always, no matter what. 

Amen.