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August 15, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Desires & Imagination, by Russ Lawson
What do you dream about? Now, I don't mean the dreams you have while
you are asleep necessarily, but what is it you "day dream" about? What
occupies your thoughts, what is the center of your focus or your
attention?
It's amazing where we can find words of wisdom, if we would only
listen. My wonderful wife Melody shared a quote with me this weekend.
She is a big fan of the old black and white movies, which is where she
heard this gem. The quote is this: "Man's desires are his prayers;
everything in the realm of imagination is also in the realm of
possibility" (From 1954 Movie "Riders to the Stars").
That phrase, "Man's desires are his prayers" really struck a cord with
me. It proclaims a great truth about who we are and about what is
really important to us if we will but think about it. I have known
people throughout the years for whom it was quite easy to understand
just what their dreams were. You didn't have to be around them very
long, before you knew what was really important to them.
As I think back on my own life I can see a progression and hopefully a
growth in my life. When I was a preteen I read every adventure book I
could find. I really thought I might like to be a forest ranger. Then I
discovered a larger world and became very interested in flight and
outer space. Then, as is typical in teen years, I first focused on cars
and then came to notice girls. Then of course I focused upon one girl,
who's been my girl for the past 41 years.
"Man's desires are his prayers ..."
In my early 20's all of the teaching my parents had been doing kicked
in and Melody and I began to focus more on God and serving him. I quit
my job and we traveled a thousand miles to go to school and learn
better how to serve God and his people. That's been my focus now for
close to 40 years. I may have some side interests, but my focus is
serving God and his people. Someone once commented, "All you guys talk
about is church and church stuff." We took it as a great complement,
though that was not the way they meant it.
Our focus and our dream has taken us on many great adventures! We have
lived in and visited places in our world which many people only see in
the movies, all the time following the dream. Our dream which became
our focus and the center of our prayers changed our lives, "Man's
desires are his prayers; everything in the realm of imagination is also
in the realm of possibility."
Notice what Jesus tells us about reaching for our dreams and prayers:
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26
NKJV).
Maybe it's time for you to think about what is really important in your
life. It is (or should be) your focus and your prayer and it is in the
realm of possibility; Jesus said so!
---------
(c) 2008 Russ Lawson <rlawson@wclo.net>, Messages from the Heart
<http://www.mfth.net/aboutus.html>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Fading Dreams
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200509/20050924_fadingdreams.html
* Dreams
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200008/20000829_dreams.html
* Kingdom Dreams
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200301/20030126_diary52.html
* Messages from the Heart
http://www.mfth.net/aboutus.html
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200808/20080815_imagination.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
SEE THE MORNING, by Chris Tomlin
Award-winning artist Tomlin offers a whole new set of soul-inspiring
easy-to-sing songs about God's faithfulness.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?260
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