Hope... Deferred

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." ~Proverbs 13:12

I've read this verse several times, but I love how God can bring something new out of it when I thought I already knew the meaning...

My judge often gives the Defendants in our courtroom a deferred sentence.  (This makes me think about how God is our "Judge," but He defers our death sentence to give us time and opportunity to accept Christ and be forgiven, then we can have our sentence wiped out and expunged... but that's merely a sidenote.) 

I looked up the word deferred, and it means "postponed or delayed; suspended or withheld until a certain time or event."

Even if it seems strange, this makes me really happy!  God did not say "hope lost," but "hope deferred."  Because the moment we step into heaven, all our hopes will be fulfilled!  It is HARD on our hearts to desire something and be required to wait... we all know that well.  I would love to get married and have children, and I desire that, but have little control over it.  I would love to be at a healthy weight, and I have hope for that, but I get easily discouraged when dwelling on how long it will take.  It can be tempting for us to ignore the light of hope because it feels so distant and out of our control, and because the pain of past disappointment was strong.  But losing sight of the hope crushes and kills our heart and leads to depression... fortunately, letting go of all hope is nearly impossible, as God has placed that in our hearts.  "Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill." 

But I love -- LOVE -- the thought that hope is simply deferred, meaning that as Christians who love the Lord, our hearts' deepest desires will be met.  God knows the perfect timing and way to make it happen, even if we must wait for the event of the rapture.  Like the "Mirror of Erised" scene, some of our strongest desires may be things that will not be fulfilled here on earth -- like getting God's answers to some of our deepest questions, reconciliation with an old friend, reuniting with a dead relative, or generally achieving perfection in looks or health or lifestyle.  But heaven is real, and it is in our future, so our greatest hopes are not lost, but simply postponed or delayed!

This verse is not two separate sentences, as I've always pictured it. It is not a statement that sometimes God lets you down and other times He grants your dreams.  It is God encouraging His children to hold on to hope -- saying that He knows the waiting is hard on our hearts, but reminding us that He alone knows the right timing for what we desire, and that when our desires are finally met, it will bring us life and joy!!  Hope deferred comes before desire fulfilled... hold on to hope, and wait expectantly on God!! 

"I will never forget this awful time as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still DARE TO HOPE when I remember this: The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day... The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him." ~Lamentations 3:20-25

"We all know the dilemma of desire, how awful it feels to open our hearts to joy, only to have grief come in... but something in me knows that to kill desire is to kill my heart altogether."  ~John Eldredge

Erised stra ehru oy

I'm about ten years behind on this, but I've finally decided to watch the Harry Potter movie marathon so that I can go see the final movie when it comes out this weekend and feel like I know the characters.  I watched movie #1, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, last night, and found the "Mirror of Erised" scene interesting.  

When Harry looks into the mirror, he sees his parents smiling by his side... parents who died before he ever got to know them.  When his best friend looks in the mirror, he sees himself being popular and successful.  They are confused by whether this mirror is supposed to show the past or the future...

Professor Dumbledore explains that the Mirror of Erised is a magic mirror which shows the "deepest and most desperate desire of our hearts... The happiest man on earth would look into the mirror and see only himself, exactly how he is."

Inscribed across the top of the frame is the following:
Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi

Which reads in reverse:
I show not your face but your heart's desire

So what would the mirror would show you?
...What would it show me?  

Not counting the trivial or fleeting desires, what is my heart's deepest desire and what would that look like??  I quickly recognized that in any imaginary scenario that came to mind (married, mom, counselor, artist, author, teacher, fame, etc.), the woman reflected in the mirror is me, only far more beautiful... the desire to be healthy, confident, admired, and desired... whether it seems shallow or not, that is part of what it would take to make me fully happy, and it (sustained weight loss) is NOT the impossible dream!!  As Mr. Frey says, "It is a choice, each and every time!"

In the end of that scene, the professor encourages Harry not to keep looking at the mirror, as "it gives us neither knowledge or truth... It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." 

I LOVE that.  Remember to live and stay present, and to do whatever it is that makes your heart come alive! =)

Thankful Thursday (30)

"We give thanks to You, O God; we give thanks. You are present, and Your miracles confirm that."  ~Psalm 75:1

I am thankful for...

1.  LifeChurch's At The Movies series... love it!!  And I'm thankful for the new Midwest City campus being open for my family. :)  Pic = entrance to Tulsa campus

2.  A fun OKC road trip for Malori's birthday this past Saturday... RePUBlic burgers, everyone seeing her new house, ice cream sundaes, Pops, and a very memorable Q&A game!! =) 

3.  Randomly getting to watch the Riverwalk fireworks show (with a perfect view) after Yolotti

4.  Nathan's "Fourth of July Bash Bash Bash" ...and hanging out and listening to The Good Life on our random drive to Kevin's parents' house!

5.  Oil painting fun! :)

6.  My 10,001st day. lol  That "God has begun a good work in me and He is well able to complete it!"

7.  Two days off work to help decorate and get ready for Rachael and Josh's upcoming wedding!!

Songs of the Week = Marry You by Bruno Mars and Forever with the fun wedding dance!  Get excited! :)

Totally Random Information

Today - July 6, 2011 - it has officially been 10,000 DAYS since the day I was born over 27 years ago.  

"Mini-wave in celebration of ME."  ;-) 
(-Chandler Bing quote)

Factoring in six Leap Year days, 139 days after your 27th birthday is 10,000 days.  Yes, I'm ridiculous. lol  I figured that up a long time ago after listening to Joyce talk about some things she'd calculated in her life. I put a reminder in my iPhone calendar and forgot all about it till I saw it, so that was a random fun surprise.

Just in case you're bursting with curiosity, November 21, 2038, will be 20,000 days!  Close to my 55th birthday, assuming I haven't died or been raptured.  I vote for being raptured before that... yes, please!  Anyway, just a lovely little reminder that our days here are numbered, so we should make the most of them...

"Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.  Remind me that my days are numbered - how fleeting my life is...  And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?  My only hope is in You."  ~Psalm 39:4,7

*Edited to add:  I was two days late in my calculation, so day 10,000 was really July 4th, 2011, which honestly feels like a much better celebration point!! #IndependenceDay

"Nothing but the hand of God."

On the series finale of the Oprah Winfrey Show, she talked about her seven greatest life lessons.  Personally, I believe there was a lot of wisdom in what she said, so for those who missed it (or for me to look back on later), here is a brief recap...

1.  We Are All Called

"Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it.  It lights you up and it lets you know that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be, doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing — to live from the heart of yourself. You have to make a living; I under­stand that. But you also have to know what sparks the Light in you so that you, in your own way, can illu­minate the world!

Each one of you has your own platform. Wherever you are, that is your platform, your stage, your circle of influence. In every way, in every day, you are showing people exactly who you are. You’re letting your life speak for you.  You will receive in direct proportion to how you give in whatever platform you have… Start embracing the life that is calling you and use your life to serve the world.”

2.  You Are RESPONSIBLE For Your Life

"Nobody but you is respon­sible for your life! It doesn’t matter what your mama did; it doesn’t matter what your daddy didn’t do. You are respon­sible for your life.  You are respon­sible for the energy that you create for yourself, and you’re respon­sible for the energy that you bring to others...  All life is energy and we are trans­mitting it at every moment, and the world is responding in kind.”

3.  "For Every Action, an Equal and Opposite Reaction"

"Remember Physics class? Did you pay attention to Newton’s Third Law of Motion? Let me tell you, that thing is real. It says: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. That is the abiding law that I live by, artic­u­lated to perfection by Miss Celie in The Color Purple when she finally gets the courage to leave her abusive husband, Mister. ‘Every­thing you done to me already done to you.’  It is the Golden Rule to the tenth power.”
*Pay attention and always treat others as they wish to be treated.

4.  You Are Not Alone

"This show and our guests began to paint a different picture, and has allowed us to drop the veil on all the pretense and do exactly what we envi­sioned in that first show: to let people know that you are not alone.  People started coming on this show saying things they couldn’t say to their own family members. Little by little, we started to release the shame.”

5.  You Are Worthy of Happiness

“Whether it’s heroin addiction or gambling addiction or shopping addiction or food addiction or work addiction, the root is all the same. The show has taught me there is a common thread that runs through all of our pain and all of our suffering, and that is unwor­thiness. Not feeling worthy enough to own the life you were created for. Even people who believe they deserve to be happy and have nice things often don’t feel worthy once they have them.
 
There is a difference, you know, between thinking you deserve to be happy and knowing you are worthy of happiness…. We often block our own blessings because we don’t feel inher­ently good enough or smart enough or pretty enough or worthy enough. The show has taught me you’re worthy because you are born and because you are here. Your being here, your being alive, makes worthiness your birthright. You alone are enough.”

6.  Everyone Wants To Be Heard

“I’ve talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show, and all 30,000 had one thing in common: They all wanted vali­dation. If I could reach through this tele­vision and sit on your sofa or sit on a stool in your kitchen right now, I would tell you that every single person you will ever meet shares that common desire. They want to know: ‘Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you?'

Under­standing that one prin­ciple -- that everybody wants to be heard -- has allowed me to hold the micro­phone for you all these years with the least amount of judgment... It’s helped me to stand and to try to do that with an open mind and to do it with an open heart. It has worked for this platform, and I guar­antee you it will work for yours. Try it with your children, your husband, your wife, your boss, your friends. Validate them. ‘I see you. I hear you. And what you say matters to me.'"

7.  Be Still, Wait, and Listen

“People often ask me, What is the secret of success of the show? How have we lasted 25 years? I non-jokingly say, ‘My team and Jesus.’  Because nothing but the hand of God has made this possible for me. …I know I’ve never been alone, and you haven’t either. And I know that that presence, that flow — some people call it grace — is working in my life at every single turn. And yours too, if you let it in. It’s closer than your breath, and it is yours for the asking.

I have felt the presence of God my whole life. Even when I didn’t have a name for it, I could feel the voice bigger than myself speaking to me, and all of us have that same voice. Be still, and know it. You can acknowledge it or not; you can worship it or not. You can praise it, you can ignore it, or you can know it. Know it. It’s always there speaking to you and waiting for you to hear it.  In every move, in every decision, I wait, and I listen. I’m still — I wait and listen for the guidance that’s greater than my meager mind.”
~Oprah Winfrey
May 25, 2011

MM ~ Happy 4th!!

God bless America!
Happy 4th of July from the VCGO! ;)

In honor of the 4th and of my 3 year blog anniversary, today's "Memory Monday" = the 4th of July for the past three years...

2010 was the last day of our awesome Vegas Trip -- One Republic concert was the night of the 3rd, then we rang in the 4th at midnight with Whitney's Star Spangled Banner at the Bellagio water show!!  I ❤ Vegas!  So excited to go back this November! =)

2009 was hanging out with Rach and Danielle... when Danielle said "Barry Manilow represents my very soul!" lolol =)

And 2008 was a fun family cookout with the cousins!

Tonight will be Nathan's party with the LG, so I'm excited for that!  Hope you have a fantastic 4th! :)

Blog-iversary!

Hey friends, today is officially three years since I started this blog!  Hooray for that, and for all the memories and new friendships along the way!!! =)

"Everything you love is what makes life worth living." ~Eldredge 

Yesterday's At the Movies message (Up) was a great reminder that life goes by fast, and even when things don't work out as we'd hoped, choosing to love is the most important thing we can do.  It moves us forward and brings us joy again when our heart feels trapped in the past.

"This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"