Training, planning, dreaming

I have back to back training this morning. I go from a half hour training with my boss to a four hour training with a small group in CPR and First Aid. Wrapped up in the middle of that training is a conference call that I had agreed to participate in. Not every morning is this busy, but it is not unusual. In the first four months of this year I am scheduled for eight different classroom training exercises; everything from CPR to safety to Excel. But it will accomplish my goals for the year pretty quickly.


I’m hoping my boss is up to beginning our twelve week training. It has been on hold for the past six weeks due to lack of training materials, scheduling problems and weather. The sooner we begin, the sooner we can get this done, but we are not off to a very good start; maybe the finish will make up for it.

Mama and I have been praying for Cori and Nate in the decision they are making about whether to stay where they are or move. I remember the same decision being made in our home many years ago. We were sure the Lord was pleased with our desire to live in West Virginia. We had a good church there and family. So we went. We ended up moving back to Texas for a few years because my timing was off but we eventually got it right and lived there on our farm for a decade before we came back to Texas.

I have learned since then that God is in no hurry. More times than not He has us wait on Him and that is as it should be because we are, more often than not, less prepared than we think we are. For the last several moves, I have been ready several years ahead of the move and have had to spend many hours in prayer to keep my heart and mind focused on the task at hand while we waited.

God never expects us to leave undone what He has us doing while He prepares the next assignment. In my life, I have not always been sure if the move I was planning was God’s desire for our lives or mine so after our false start in West Virginia I have tried to be very careful. As our family grew, my mistakes affected more and more persons. So I understand the concerns Nate and Cori have. Being faithful where we are (prayerfully patient) while we seek God’s direction (obedient in service) always brings its own reward.

It never hurts to dream, but a good plan will always take you further than the sweetest dream. I have watched as near family dreamed big dreams yet made no attempt to bring them into fruition. Later they felt wounded by disappointment, discouraged that nothing had happened.

I love to hear Mama’s dreams. I love even more to make them come true. Fortunately, most of her dreams have been small and immediate. The dream of having a farm again, that will take some serious planning because it is bigger than both of our abilities to make it happen.

It is not, however, bigger than God.