Livin the dream..

My sister and I sat at my kitchen table. Coffee was brewing. Dishes were piled in the sink. There was still a stain from the red Kool Aid spilled on the floor. My three young childen were running throughout the house, stopping by the table just long enough to grab another handful of mini vanilla wafers. Dragon Tales blared from the TV screen in the living room.

But I longed for these moments! Kate worked at the mall just around the corner from our suburban housing development. She would pop in our back door after working a 6 hour shift. Her hair would be meticulous, her accessories looked better than my entire "stay at home mom" outfit, and she always had on an amazing pair of jeans and six in heels! You would think this alone would put me into the "Oh my goodness if I get spit up on one more time" pity party mode, but instead the sound of the back door closing always put a smile on my face.

I'm not sure why Kate always came over. I mean I am sure there were other environments, rather than a diaper and sippy cup filled home, that she could have frequented. I am sure there were others more fashionable and exciting than myself during those days. But none-the-less she came.

Sometimes for a few hours. Sometimes for just a few minutes and a cup of coffee. For me, these moments at the table, while the kids ran and played and bumped their heads and argued over the Dora the Explorer backpack, were God-send moments.

We would talk and uplift. I would listen to her stories about working at a mall in a large city. I would live vicariously through her stories of romance and dating. I'd steal her away for a few minutes to my bedroom closet to pick out my next "out on the town with my hubby" outfit. But, beyond all that, we would share our hopes and heartaches, our prayers and petitions, our desires and dreams.

"Hey Jen...do you remember sitting at your kitchen table in Charlotte?"

Now, almost 8 years later, Kate was reminding me of those days.

"Do you remember what you used to tell me would be your dream life?"

"Do you remember?" She probed, but didn't wait for my answer.

"You said it would be to teach in a small town, at a small college. To live close enough for students to stop by and say hi to you. To have a simple life. To love. To live."

"Yeah...I remember." I said, my mind reverting back to those days in Charlotte when the kids were so small. To the days before I returned to school for my Ph.D. To the days when my nights were filled with late night laundry and my mornings began at 6 a.m. with a crying infant. To the days before my husband was a born-again Christian.

"And do you know what else you said?" Kate wasn't finished with this yet.

I could barely muster a "What?" because I knew Kate was about to share something I had already remembered. Something I knew God was reminding me of through the words of my baby sis today. Something I would later be lifting up prayers of gratitude over, because of the blantant reminder of our Savior's never failing answers to prayer. Answers that might not come as soon as we expect. Answers that might not look the same as our dreams. Answers that might take years to come to pass. But answers.

"You said you dreamed of adopting a child from Africa!"

Silence on my end.

"Jen...You have a son from Ghana in your home. Your husband and nine year old son are on to meet Lucy. Jen...God has given you your dream!"

Wow! A simple reminder, but a complex conviction!

GOD IS IN THE BUSINESS OF LOVING US!

HE LOVES US SO MUCH HE GAVE US HIS ONLY SON!

JUST FOR US!
JUST FOR YOU!
JUST FOR ME!

JESUS!

GOD KNOWS YOU!

HE KNOWS YOUR DREAMS.

HE KNOWS YOUR NEEDS.

HE KNOWS YOUR WANTS.

HE HEARS OUR PRAYERS!

GOD WILL PROVIDE.

IT MAY NOT BE WHEN,

OR HOW YOU EXPECTED,

BUT HE WILL PROVIDE!

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or  imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Ephesians 3:20-21