Dare To Dream

“Creation was brought into being in order to glorify the Creator, God. But creation cannot reach its intended purpose without our willing participation, whereby creation is intelligently brought through our worship as an offering to the Creator.”

- Unknown

I heard Lysa Terkeurst speak a few years ago about living between two gardens. When Eden was created, Genesis 1:12 says that it was good. As Pastor Ken reminded us last weekend from Genesis 1:31, after completing creation, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Perfect in His eyes. Unfortunately, sin entered the picture and perfection was gone. With sin came loneliness, pain, disease, injustice, hatred and death.

In Revelation 21, the Bible says that isn’t the end of the story! One day Eden will be restored. There will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain. God will make everything new!

But right now, we are living between two gardens. The in-between space of what was and what is to come. What does that mean for you and me? It means that God needs our help to make the world a little more like Eden, to bring heaven to earth.

1 Peter 4:10-11 says:

God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. (NLT)

In our Table Group, we’re talking about how we can use the gifts we’ve been given to achieve new levels of meaning, purpose and impact with our lives. This past week, we were to brainstorm what it looks like to pursue professional mastery, revive a dream and improve your world.

Growing up, my grandparents were very much a part of my life. My grandmother took my sisters and I weekly to sing at nursing homes and visit seniors. She prayed with me to invite Jesus into my life. I have so many great memories of fishing, playing cards, crocheting and baking. Unfortunately, because of distance, our kids didn’t have the same experience. Today, so many families are distanced from relatives as well. There is no older influence providing wisdom for their lives.

So, about five years ago, I started to dream about bringing children, teens and seniors together, to provide an intergenerational safe place for kids and teens to come after school and weekends. Children would learn the arts, a new skill from a senior, practice sports, receive counseling and be mentored. In turn, they would teach seniors how to work their iPhones (just kidding - well, maybe not) and computer programs. As I said, it’s a dream but perhaps in the years to come, it will come to some type of fruition.

What about you? What gifts has God given you? How can you improve your little corner of the world while you’re here? Part of the prayer Jesus prayed before going to the cross says, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Dream with me - how can you bring a little bit of heaven to earth?

Pastor Pam

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