Wishes

Remember when you were little? Remember wishing on a star? Or wishing of a dandelion when you blew off the little umbrella seeds? Remember the way a four leaf clover was hoped for? It's funny to me how much faith is in a little child. I mean, stars and dandelions have no power, but it doesn't stop a child from wishing. I remember vividly reading that if I asked anything in Jesus name that it would come true. So I prayed for my sweet dolly to come to life. I spent a whole day praying for that. On my knees in the driveway. In the house. Literally a day spent in prayer. My friends were in on it too. Strangely, though my dolly didn't come to life, I didn't have an iota less faith. I got wiser. I learned that some things are dangerous or could be problematic if they really happened. The day I was praying for my doll, my friend was praying for a new bike. But in my heart, what I was needing, wasn't my doll to come alive, but someone to be close to me, love me, be "mine".
Sometimes we wish for a certain something when really what we're wishing is that our need would be met. And often, my needs get met in ways I didn't even know to wish for. How many times have I prayed for money? Golly, let me think. Can't even come up with it. But never has it fallen out of the sky into my waiting hands. But, my needs have always been met. Food. Clothing. Shelter. Kid in college. I pray for a job. Don't have one yet. But, our needs are still being met. Great sales. Wonderful friends who share. Can't even explain it half of the time.
It is easy to get cynical and act as if prayer and hope and faith are passe. It's easy to behave as if they have no impact on your life. Really, they are what are at our very core. All of us. We are wired to believe. To hope. To desire to be cared for. I don't know where you are walking today. I don't know what people have told you about faith. I don't know anything about you. I do know that it's worth exploring and looking into. Because if you look at life, how is it that even in the most hellish times we find courage? What is it that causes us to take another step. Who are we and why do we keep wishing? Why do we keep hoping? Why do we keep getting up?
All I know is that I have found a God who answers not just the words of my prayers, but the cry deep in my heart. And this relationship has changed my life.
I still question. I still wonder. I still think. And unlike those stars and dandelions, He has actually heard and moved and acted on my behalf. I've seen it over and over. I don't understand it. Wish I could, because then I would explain it to you. But really, I don't have a way to define it. I simply know. To the depths of my heart. I am cared for. I am watched over. And that makes all of the difference.
blessings,
rhonda