Unexpected Dreams

Once upon a time there was a teenage girl who was a bit confused with the life that had been given her. She felt a little lost and not quite all together, but she had dreams. She had a best friend who she shared all her dreams with. They often climbed out onto the roof of her best friend’s house, looked at the stars together and talked about their future and what it would hold. This teenage girl spoke with confidence, but there was a little doubt buried deep in her heart. She didn’t believe she was worthy. Later this girl went off to college, not knowing what she wanted to do with her life or even how to get there, and she became even more confused. She got caught up in a storm of trying to fit in and made really bad decisions. She wasn’t a bad person. She had a good heart and was a typical teenager trying to be accepted, but those decisions would darken the far corners of her heart without her even knowing it.

Well, this girl grew into her twenties and went off into the Air Force. She tried her best and did well in her new job, but she still made some wrong decisions and still felt confused and lost. It wasn’t until 2006, after a divorce, a bad rebound relationship, and a deployment, that life seemed to make a little more sense. She began to seek God more in prayer and through the Bible. She began to feel God’s grace and recognized her broken roads as blessings. This is when she fell in love with her husband. The man who may not have check marked all the “dream man” requirements she spoke of so long ago on the roof with her best friend, but was certainly exceeding those expectations.

Life continued as normal in every other respect. She bounced from job to job, she had hard times in her marriage, she had amazing times in her marriage, she shared sad moments with friends and family, she started her own business, she became a mom – first in 2010 and again in 2012 – and then, she and her husband purchased their first family home. Life was pretty good for this girl by many standards and many would think she had done well. And by the grace of God, she had. But, some time after they moved into their first family home, she and her husband made a decision to pursue the ministry and her photography business full time. And her dreams of success started to alter. They shifted from idolizing her personal success and her material things to being far more focused on her family and their relationship with God. She became more humbled and although there are some days where she thinks she wants another life – a life where money isn’t an issue and vacations are possible – she has days like yesterday. Days where her family is together worshipping God, playing outside, making dinner, and praying…together. Those are the days when she feels God’s grace the most. Those are the days when she remembers how God blessed her past broken roads. And those are the days she could have never dreamt so long ago because those kinds of days turned out so much better than her dreams.

XO,

Stacy