Believing Impossible Things

I imagine the turtle that my son picked up was scared, frustrated and feeling helpless. Journey interrupted – private space invaded. If he could talk maybe he would have said, “Mom, he’s touching my shell.” If he could think, was he tallying just how far out of his planned journey this exhibition would place him? Half way across the street – halfway there – and now this.

I don’t think he trusted us. I rather imagine he had no faith in our intentions, as he was held there mid-air, legs dangling out of his shell. He had no concept of believing impossible things. Just instinctive fear.

I am so glad that unlike the turtle God filled us with the ability to believe – to believe in impossible things.

By John Tenniel

“There’s no use trying,” she said: “One can’t believe impossible things.”

“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day.  Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

– Lewis Carroll, Through a Looking Glass

 What are 6 things you need to believe?

Impossible Things

Can you believe it for 30 minutes today?

Thank God for doing the impossible?

“I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me”
(Philippians 4:13)

Do you need to practice?

I do!

Today, before breakfast

I am going to believe

6 impossible things are not impossible

because through Him, all things are possible

^“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”
(Matt. 19:26)

All things are possible –

1. I thank God believing that He provides even in a failing economy.
2. I believe in the dreams He has put on my husband’s heart, I believe in the brick-by-brick building of that dream.
3. I believe, not in past behavior patterns of a son becoming a man – I believe in God’s faithfulness and love to pursue each person He created, just as the Shepherd pursues each lost lamb.
4. I believe that the son who does not like to keep calendars of due dates for school projects will become organized and through organization become responsible for his grades.
5. I believe that I will have abundant energy to respond with grace to each son today.
6. I believe that my day will be punctuated with joy, laughter and blessing – both given and received.
7. I believe that one day I will understand how God wants me to fill my days, use my gifts and fulfill His plan for my life – and through that understanding have peace about myself.

 As I walk through each day, I will believe, though I don’t see, walking, holding tightly to a faith that is “the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

And, while I am walking seeing the unseen, I will whisper the words Jesus whispered to Jarius who’s daughter, though dead, through Jesus believed she could yet live again:

 “Don’t be afraid; just believe” (Mark 5:36)

 

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wHeN I aM OLd aNd sMoKE a pIPe WitH VAnIlLa tObACcO

Around the Blogahood, neighbors are posting, well, favorite old posts – and, really, I just couldn’t resist – kind of like the favorite old stories you like to tell over and over again.  Or that often repeated joke that still makes you laugh? This post is an example of an idea rummaging around in my head for over 14 years – and blogging gave me the chance to pull it out and give it life. That is one of the beautiful things about the blogahood!

When I am old, I will smoke a pipe with vanilla tobacco. By the time I am 85 years old, smoking a pipe of vanilla tobacco will not negatively affect my health. I will be too old to negatively influence my children, and my great grand children will remember me. There will be, I am sure, many things I will not want to do, but I think the hardest thing will be to resist the urge to speak to my children, my grandchildren, and my great grand children in Disney Language (Disneyese).

So that when my son says, “Mom, I was thinking . . . .”

I will not answer, “A dangerous past time, I’m sure”(Beauty and the Beast).

Nor will I respond to misplaced temper with, “…and most of all…Control your temper”(Beauty andthe Beast)

When somone askes me who the older gentleman is with my 10th grandson’s wife, I will not say, “The crazy old coot is belle’s father” (Beauty and the Beast).

No matter how temping, when my great grand-sons are whining about pulling some weeds, I will not say, like Grumpy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, “A fine bunch of water lilies you turned out to be.”

Nor will I on any occasion sing to my sons, my grandsons, and my great grandsons about what kind of man they need to be:

“[men] BE A MAN
We must be swift as a coursing river
[men] BE A MAN
With all the force of a great typhoon
[men] BE A MAN
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon”(Mulan) -This one is going to be a hard one to resist!

Neither will I encourage the eating of lettuces: romaines, butterheads, radicchio, arugula or endive by saying, “Eating greens is a special treat, It makes long ears and great big feet. But it sure is awful stuff to eat”(Bambi).

And when my 2 year old great grand-daughter jabbers to me, in a language I cannot understand, I will not say, “Look, you’re really cute, but I can’t understand what you’re saying” (Finding Nemo).

Despite their good intentions, when my children try to wake me up at 5 a.m. to take me to the beach with them, I will not sound like Madam Mim, “I hate sunshine! I hate horrible, wholesome sunshine! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it, hate it, hate it!” and pull the covers back over my head (The Sword and the Stone).

Nor will I ask the tiny child rummaging through my candy box, “Who are You?” Catepillar from Alice in Wonderland (because I will know all their names).

And when that tiny child eats my last favorite piece of candy, I will not shout or even whisper, “Off with their heads,”(Alice in Wonderland).

When I ask my 4 year old great grandaughter what her name is because I am so old and have so many new names to remember, when she just stares mutely, terrified of the little old lady smoking a pipe with vanilla tobacco, I will not impertintly answer,”At least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then” (Alice in Wonderland).

I will not wish strangers, “A Very Happy Unbirthday”(Alice in Wonderland), and when my son tells me the doctor has ordered me to never eat ice cream again, I will not answer, “Never say Never whatever you do”(An American Tail).

When they asked, “What’s for dinner Great Grannydoodle?” I will not answser, “Kidney of a horse, liver of a cat, filling up the sausages with this and that” (00ps–Les Miserable, but it is one of my most favorite lines).

If my sons dared to ask, just because they are in their 50s and think they are old enough, “Why did you do it, Mom” when I visit and eat all their ice cream at 2 a.m. I will not say, “I’d like to make one thing quite clear: I never explain anything”(Mary Poppins).

When they fuss at me for having too much fun wrestling and pinning down the grandchildren and great grandchildren or jumping on the trampoline, I will not say, “Why do you have to spoil it? We have fun! I taught you to fly and to fight”(Peter Pan).

And when one of the little ones comes in, fussing that someone is not sharing, no matter how tempting, I will not say, “All you need is trust and a little bit of pixie dust” and then sprinkle glitter or baby powder on her hair. No, I will not do that.

Nor will I call all these children, big and small “Bilge Rats” for beating me at chess and checkers(Peter Pan).

No, I think when I am Old and Smoke a Pipe with Vanilla Tobacco, I will want to hold their tiny hands, or hug them close if they will let me (you know how children are), and I will say, “Let me pray a blessing prayer with you.” Or maybe I will tell them stories about how Jesus loved their parents, and grandparents, cousins – and how God answered prayers and loved unconditionally, faithfully. And, maybe, I will explain about being a son or daughter of the King – and what that means in His Kingdom!

Yes, I think that is what I will do!

 

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