Yes With No Regrets!

Last week I attended a memorial service for a 92 year-old man who had served in our church for 68 years.  The service was inspiring, challenging and motivational.  It inspired me to press on in ministry, challenged me to leave a legacy of service, and it motivated me to pursue God’s call on my life.  There is one story from his life that was shared that day that has stuck with me.  One day he told his care taker about the time he felt God had called him to missions and how fear hindered him from saying yes.  He said his biggest regret in life was saying no to God. He had asked God to forgive him and had served in other capacities, but that no stayed with him.  As I reflect on this story a phrase continues to run over and over in my mind: No one regrets saying “yes” to Jesus, but all will regret saying “no” to Him.

God called me to write a book about seven years ago and I said yes!  I wrote it out of obedience to God’s call and for no other reason.  People have asked me how many books I have sold and I couldn’t tell them, because my motivation for writing the book was to answer the Lord’s call and to encourage others through my story of a life transformed by the Word of God. Now the Lord is calling me to say yes to a few other things and I have been a little slow in answering His call. 

However, the Lord has once again encouraged me to say yes, not only through this memorialized life, but also through a disturbing dream.  I had a dream that I was caring for an infant and throughout the dream I kept losing track of the baby. Then the ending of the dream was more like a nightmare when I heard a scream and ran to the bathroom where I had evidently left the baby in the bath.  You can fill in the ending for yourself.  I awoke with such a pit in my stomach and heaviness in my heart.  I immediately asked the Lord, “What was that about?”  Why on earth would I dream such a thing?  You could argue that the dream was brought on by my anticipation of my first grandchild and my only daughter’s upcoming wedding. But I couldn’t shake it and then the next morning as I prayed and read my Bible I found the answer. 

“Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb?  Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.  Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.”  Isaiah 49:15-16

“The children of whom you were bereaved will yet say in your ears, ‘The place is too cramped for me; Make room for me that I may live here.’ Isaiah 49:20

“And all flesh will know that I, the LORD am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”  Isaiah 49:26

Through this prophecy of Isaiah He encourages His people that He has not forgotten them and that He will restore them.  There are some dreams that God has placed in my heart and has called me to pursue, but I have set them aside and been distracted with the busyness of life.  Through my disturbing dream He reminded me that the dreams I forget, He remembers.  He also restores those dreams we think are dead.  He not only restores the dream, He fulfills the dream so that all flesh will know that it was God who accomplished it! 

My problem is that I haven’t made room in my dailiness to intentionally pursue the callings and dreams God has given me.  Today, I am making room!  Do you have a dream that you think is dead, a forgotten call that God placed in your mind and heart?  It’s not too late to say yes to Him.  Pray with me:  Lord, thank You that even when I forget You remember.  When I let things die, You restore them.  I say yes to You today!  Now Lord give me a mind to obey and a heart to trust that You will accomplish Your dreams and plans in and through me.  May all those around me know that You are Lord my Savior and Dream Maker! 

All Glory to God,

Nancy

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29