Posted on 03/10/2006 6:35:00 PM PST by sionnsar
From Lent and Beyond's Anglican bloggers' collaborative Lenten series, here is When Dreams Seemingly Don't Come True, a thoughtful piece by Townsend Waddill of the Romans 12:2 blog. Don't miss this entry in an outstanding series!
When Dreams Seemingly Don’t Come True
(For Friday, March 10, 2006)
Daily Office Readings:
Morning Psalms 95, 40, 54
Evening Psalm 51
Genesis 40:1-23, 1 Corinthians 3:16-23, Mark 2:13-22
They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8)
If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Have you ever had a dream, or a deep and sincere wish? A dream or hope that something would happen, and then felt crushed when it did not happen?
This happened to me recently, with the decline in health and eventual death of my grandmother, whom we affectionately call Mimi. She died this past Sunday, on the first Sunday of Lent. My deep and sincere wish was that she would be present at my ordination. You see, she has this family Bible, with generations upon generations of ancestors written in it. As the oldest grandson, the Bible was supposed to be passed on to me anyway, and I was hoping that she would be around to watch my bishop hopefully give that Bible to me during the service. It seemed like a wonderful idea, since my family is a deeply devoted Christian family and played such a big part in my formation.
When she was lying in her bed, dying, I felt as if my dream had been shattered. At least it felt that way, until I read Karen B.’s Ash Wednesday devotional. In it she drew on the irony about how, while Ash Wednesday is a day in which we focus on our mortality, the scriptures were saying “Seek the Lord and live.” While reflecting on that devotional, I was struck by the words of the Commendation in the Burial Office of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, which state “For so thou didst ordain when thou createdst me, saying, ‘Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ All we go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.”
Mimi was a devoted disciple of Christ, and I have no doubt that she is numbered among the saints in the heavenly host. That means that she will be there for my ordination. When the bishop, during the Eucharist, says “therefore with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name; evermore praising thee…,” Mimi is present among the saints in heaven, and we will be united again at that time. To God be the Glory!
You see, the Alleluia moment in this was the realization that my dream will come true, just not in the way that I thought it would. In other words, God had a different interpretation, and chose to reveal it to me in time. We sometimes allow our interpretation of dreams to interfere with God’s interpretation, our wills to interfere with his will, our “wisdom” to interfere with the wisdom that comes from Him. Joseph understood this very well, as did Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians. So many times in our lives, we try to figure out the meaning behind things, and we look in all the wrong directions. But God is always there, always faithful, always ready to point us in the right direction: when we ask Him.
As we continue in this season of Lent, it is my prayer for all of us that we will be drawn much closer to Him by our prayers and devotion to Christ. May God bless us richly during this Lenten season.
Let us pray.
Almighty and eternal God, we thank you for dying on the cross, so that we could be forgiven of our sins and be made worthy of the gift of eternal life: Draw us ever closer to you, so that we can rest assured of your loving care. Grant our hearts so to be drawn closer to you that we may be able to truly know you, and the plans you have for us. Help us Lord not to dream in vain and grant us the peace that comes from knowing your will for us. In all things we depend on your Grace, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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-Townsend Waddill is junior seminarian at Nashotah House and is originally from Tallahassee, Florida. He is married to Lisa Waddill, and they have a 2.5 year old son, Benjamin.
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.
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