NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

Having Heart In A Sometimes Heartless World Day 82 - They said it was impossible; "they" were wrong Scripture focus: No more lying then. Each of you must tell the truth to the other believer because we are all members together in the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:25 GNT Did you know that, technically speaking, bumblebees can't fly? It's true! "By all theories of aerodynamics and physics, the bumblebee should not be able to fly, but it can. No scientific reason why it should; it just does. I guess no one bothered to tell it that flying wasn't possible." Soul Cravings, Erwin McManus, entry 4, Destiny. I wonder. Did you once have a dream, but decided that it would never happen? Did someone ever try to tell you that your big dream defied all theories of aerodynamics and physics? Did someone steal your hope and dreams for a future? "every one of us has a longing to become. Our souls crave progress. We need to believe in the future." Soul Cravings, Erwin McManus, entry 4, Destiny. When we lose hope in our dreams, I promise you, it won't be long before we're living in darkness. When I was a kid, my family visited the University of Virginia. I remember turning to our collegiate guide and saying, "I love this place; I want to go here." To which he replied, "No can do little lady! This is a men's college. You should check out Sweetbriar. On the weekends, we come down and visit the women there. It'll be almost like coming to Virginia." Ha. Almost? I didn't want "almost" - I wanted the big dream. I wanted to stroll across the grounds on my way to class; I wanted to read a good book on the steps of the Rotunda - not as a "visitor" but as one who belonged. I determined on that day to do whatever it took to fight for the right to attend this school. Fortunately, by the time I was ready to enroll in college, the University had seen the error of its ways - and I was one of the early classes open to both men and women. It wasn't easy. Some of the guys would have preferred that we stay a nice, convenient distance from campus. Those of us who were early adopters to this new way of thinking (the first co-ed class for all programs was 1970) experienced some "unpleasantries." But I came to that school convinced that there was a value in trailblazing for a worthy cause. Little did I know that I'd be one of many women who set the stage for an entirely different experience for my daughter and thousands of other young women, who would one day walk across these same grounds and read their books uninterrupted on the steps of the Rotunda (with more than 50% female enrollment many years). Recently a TV commentator said that this generation of young adults will be the first to fail to achieve the same level of success as their parents. Hogwash! Don't you dare let anyone tell you what you can and cannot achieve. If God can create a bumblebee to fly, what do you think he has planned for you? I know it's easy to fall back into a victim mentality and find lots of excuses for what you cannot accomplish. Maybe someone has told you that your gender or skin color or socio-economic status is a hurdle too big to jump. Don't believe 'em. The bumblebee flies! And so can you! Yes, along the way we'll have struggles. Truth be told, it is as we struggle that God is building the character and spiritual muscles we need to fulfill those very dreams that others have tried to steal from us (or we've tried to sabotage). "It's amazing how much we can endure when we are convinced there is a purpose to our struggle." Soul Cravings, Erwin McManus, entry 4, Destiny. Dream big. God can handle it. Recommended reading: Numbers 34 and 35 in the morning; Psalm 65 in the evening