Are You Brave Enough to Dream Again?

GRACE, THE RULE BREAKER

Right now. Today. Grace is giving you permission to dream again.

I know what you're thinking... "But..."

Yes. Sometimes, our present takes up so much oxygen we cannot even fathom aspiring to do more, to be more. And yet, God is calling us to dream... again.

Yes. Again.

Is Your "Enough" Enough?

There are many things I like about Mary's betrothed, Joseph.

Number one, he loved that woman. Loved her enough not to make her a spectacle. Loved her enough not to "punish" her in the relationship.

Number two, he trusted God enough for God to trust him.\

And number three, Joseph trusted God enough to sleep.

Y'all, this was no normal sleep. This was the kind of sleep where your ever-cycling thoughts finally submit to a higher authority, the One that can and will give you rest. My first two reasons for liking Joseph were because of his submission reflected through character. The third is because of Joseph's submission of self.

Mary birthed a baby. Joseph birthed a dream.

What would it take for you to sleep like Joseph?

After Mary's big announcement, he had every reason to become an insomniac.

His fiancé is pregnant. The wedding is off. Divorce is immanent, and so is shame for the woman he loves. The life he has been planning for and the woman he has been waiting for is suddenly out of reach.

How could he possibly sleep?

What Would It Take?

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream... ~Matthew 1:20, New International Version

Physical exhaustion can take a lot out of you, but emotional exhaustion will knock you off your feet. Joseph's rollercoaster ride would wipe out anybody! Still, being asleep does not mean your mind is not awake. Grace afforded him the opportunity to experience the kind of sleep where even his unconscious mind was in a state of surrender, but it first required something of him. What will it require of you?

It doesn't take much. Just enough.

Like Joseph, it takes just enough integrity and character in your wake state. Just enough love for God and people beyond logic. Just enough God in you to create a space for grace:

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.She will give birth to a s