I was awaken way too early reminded of a five minute encounter I had with a tall Caucasian gentleman a few months ago! Per our conversation, he shared his concerns for his sons' dire need for both work and education.
I learned that one of the sons' passion is to be a chef, yet he already made the case that it would take years to develop in the profession. As a result, he thought it easier not to pursue the dream at all and has sentenced himself to something without resemblance. My stomach began to hurt to know this young man has already shut the book on his whole life and has decided to forfeit the courage to grab hold to his dreams at all costs!
As I spoke a little longer with this gentleman, he began to tell me of his years in law enforcement and his dream to be an event planner to enjoy happier moments. I smiled and began to provide resources that could help him achieve that goal. After every statement I made indicating how it could be done, I watched him shoot the hope of his own dream down one bullet at a time!! After the 5th or 6th dreamshot, I stepped out of civil character to speak of our original purpose; its wealth and how we owe it to ourselves to live out our passions in this lifetime! There was a look of shock on his face as he said I should be a motivational speaker and walked away! As he walked, I sent a message to his son that at the risk of failing miserably, he must try to become what his heart says become!!
That whole ordeal was painful and I have to give pause to my perplexity to inquire what the John Brown has happened to us? When did we sign the agreement to surrender our innate dominion to become eternal cowards? Where did we learn to rather suffer than pursue our supreme purpose? Who or what has taught us to become trained assassins to our own lives? For as much as we want to place blame on the boogie man, haters or bad luck, it is by our own hands that we commit attempted murder on our desired pursuits!!
For five minutes talking with this gentleman, I stood on the opposite side of unbelief and "it sho' was ugly" (In Shug Avery's voice)! I wonder if this is how the Lord perceives us when we do not, cannot or will not believe in Him...His ability...His performance...and His immutability of counsel to fulfill the promise in our lives!! I now understand why it is impossible to please God without faith! For it matters not that we have a Heavenly Father with manifold riches, grace and mercy to finance our dreams if we don't first believe in Him, ourselves or that we can be what is hardwired in our DNA!
Now before anyone says, "I was never shown or taught that I can be anything!", I will be the first to admit that it is hard to believe without a precedent or reference! BUT isn't it both ironic and wonderful that the whole concept of faith is void of precedence, experience and what we can communicate with our physical senses? Faith is the hope of things NOT SEEN! It is the invisible power source that makes the impossible possible and the unthinkable feasible! Therefore, I should not be moved by those things I can see; for if I can feel it, see it and attain it in my own strength, then I have no reason to hope! I want my life to be fired by those things beyond my human reach as it will force me to invite the Lord's unlimited nature to manifest something mind blowing in my world and the world I influence!
I don't want the Lord to catch me on the wrong side of unbelief! I only want to be found contending for the faith! Our enemy knows that the Lord's blessings cannot be stopped, but our adversary will weary or obstruct our hope by a barrage of blinding disappointments to skew our belief system! If our foe's attempts and assaults are successful, then our faith is compromised! And if our faith malfunctions, we chance binding the Lord's hands from having a free course in the Earth!
Wrap this around your head!! Faith is the only thing the Lord requires of us to move Him—it is not by our goodness or by our works! From salvation and beyond, He wants to show Himself strong in our lives!! In fact, His eyes are going to and fro over the earth seeking for such ones!! Today, our hearts are sick because we have deferred our hope! If we mess around, just once, to take a chance to fulfill the desire of our hope, it is our tree of life!! I charge you to contend for your faith! Fight for it so that the Lord's hands, which are full of wonder, are always open towards us!!
~Teresa K. Page