Hope Again!

We are all faced in life with dreams that have been shattered into million pieces. What we once dreamed and hoped for has slipped through our fingers and has left us lifeless. Martin Luther once said, "I have held many things in my hands and I lost them all but whatever I have placed in God's hands that I still possess." The missing ingredient that we sometimes find in our prayers is complete surrender. We have all our self  perceived ideas how things should turn out but God sees the bigger picture. Some blame God when dreams die but sometimes for something to live to the fullest it must die first. It's like our spiritual walk with the Lord. If we consider Christ, Lord then we must die to certain desires and dreams in order to receive His best. Furthermore, we must die to self because we get in the way in what God is wanting to do in our lives. We have to remember that God's first name is not "Jeanie"! Prayer is not about rubbing the bottle and all of a sudden God performs whatever you wish for. We must first pray for His will in every situation. I believe that there is power in prayer. The power is found in Jesus Christ who moves in our lives where we have become spiritual crippled. Sitting in a wheelchair is a joy because in my weakness Christ is made strong in my life. Now, don't misunderstand me! Sitting in a wheelchair is hard at times and there are times when I want to throw in the towel. But, then I think about how big my God is and that He lives in me. God whispered in my ear when I was a young boy when I prayed, "Why did you make me this way?" He responded, "Because I knew I could trust you!" I asked God, "What do you mean?" God said, "I knew that the Cross that you would have to carry was custom made to your character and strength and that you woul be able to carry it to the finish line." As a kid I didn't really comprehend what that really meant until I surrendered my life to the Lord. God started to give me a future and a hope as I dreamed big for Him. However, when I turned 31, my dreams started to desert me until I found myself in a hopeless pit. I found myself working at TARGET cashiering. I had a drunk man come through my lane one night and he looked at me and said, "You are nothing but a loser because you are a cashier!" At first I was angry and had one of the security guys to kick him out out of the store. His statement haunted me for months until I got a new perspective on life. Yes, I was a cashier but I decided that day that I would be the best cashier that TARGET ever had. I started noticing that hurting people would  come through my lane and I would encourage them and give them a Scripture to hold onto. It was not long until a man came through my lane and asked me to come and speak at a Singles Retreat down in Galveston in January 2003. Not knowing when I accepted that speaking engagement that I would meet my future wife as well as see my dreams come alive again. November 1, 2003 I married the woman that I had met 10 months earlier and God opned the doors for us to move to Dallas, Tx where I went back to College to earn my degree. I was told by a College math teacher to never come back to College because it was not for me. It was God who worked through my wife that encouraged to return back to the classroom in 2005. Since then I have earned a BA Degree and I am 12 hours away from earning a Master's. So, do I believe in dreams coming true? Yes, I do if the dream has first been placed in the hands of God. So, the question for you is "Have you placed your dreams in the hands of God?" And if no, "What are you waiting for?" The journey of a lifetime is waiting for you as God is waiting in the driver's seat!