The breakout workshop ended and the 60 or so women gathered their notebooks and bags and slowly shuffled toward the back door. A woman had occupied every seat, leaving a handful standing in the back for the duration of the session. Now I watched as the speaker removed her microphone and the wires connected to the small receiver attached to her belt and I waited for a path to the front of the room.
"Thank you." She looked up from the notes she was gathering on the podium and smiled as she tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear.
"Oh! Sure! I love doing this! I'm so glad I get to be here!" Her enthusiasm, infectious and hospitable, also made her approachable.
"I mean," I paused, trying not to stammer, wanting her to know the depth of my gratitude, "thank you for speaking powerful encouragement over us." She smiled wider, sliding her papers into a brown suede tote, her eyes meeting mine.
"Of course! Listen, let's keep in touch. Email me anytime." She looked around for a pen, reaching for one in her bag. I handed her my notebook and she wrote her information across the page.
My friends stood in the back, engaged in lively conversation, as I approached them. My heart was pounding and my mind raced as I thought about all that the speaker had just shared. "Oh. myword! What is it that keeps you awake at night and gets you up in the morning?!" They stared at me. "I mean, what she said... aren't you so inspired?"
"Yeah, she was really good. I enjoyed her. But I really try not to stay awake at night. My insomnia is already bad as it is. We're trying to decide what we want to do for lunch. Any ideas?"
For lunch? Or for how to live a legacy?
Many years back, (when I was mostly all passion and little else), three women who are those let's-throw-gasoline-on-this-fire-and-watch-what-happens kind of friends, asked me to lead MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) as the Coordinator for the group. It ended up being three years of priceless leadership school that did, indeed, fuel this burning desire inside me to see parents train up their children with purpose and passion. (Cindy, Donna, & Penny, I love you forever!! A thousand thank yous for believing in me and entrusting me with responsibility that was far out of my comfort zone and abilities, yet mentoring me through and graciously allowing love to cover over all the foibles.)
Friend, whatever dreams, whatever impossibles you're preparing to surmount, may I speak courage over you?
Whatever battle you're fighting, may God give you His supernatural strength and discernment.
And as for those inspirations? The ones in which you desire to be a difference-maker? Yeah, I'm praying buckets of fuel over those, too. That you'll step into the thick of it all and choose to live larger than yourself. Uh, yeah... I'm praying this for me today, too...
Might there be someone in your life today who could benefit from the fuel of encouragement you pour over their dreams?
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