Monday 23 November 2015

Remember those Fries?



I wish I could sit down with you all today and ask, so what makes you come alive?
We all sit around the table and we get dreamy and reflective, we sip from our cups and we talk about what makes us come alive and what makes us dream! No holds barred, money is not a hindrance, pain or health, the future – nadah, it doesn’t matter. Nothing stands in our way! We dream and let our hearts run free – have we ever done that without being ashamed, guilty or afraid? 
Just dreamed…

Last year when my husband and I visited Ghana, we were introduced to the food they eat. Fresh foods like “so do you have any banana’s?”
Sure! And then he goes out in to the sandy street and picks one off the tree – “here you go!”

Anything fresher is still growing as the saying goes! That’s Ghana and the goats that jump in between the houses, sadly they often end up on the plate but one Saturday morning after a week in to our trip I sat on the edge of the bed journalling and suddenly an overwhelming food craving overcame me. The kind of craving you get when you can actually smell the food in the air, it’s just that real!
I had a craving for french fries, or chips as we call it in S.A. There’s nothing like that in Ghana but as I perched on the edge of the bed I could see Papa’s Face smiling with a very big smile – come on, He seemed to whisper, what is it that you want?

French fries? Oh Papa please could I have french fries for supper please! He smiled in return and just like that the food craving disappeared and I carried on journalling. Several hours later, we made our sleepy way over to the dinner table. I had all but forgotten about the french fries but as I sat down, it popped in to my head. Dish after dish was piled on to the table, the fare of goat, salads, watermelon and some burny carb of some sort. Okay, so we started to dish up until the hostess moved over to our side of the table and set down a covered dish but when she pulled the lid off, lo and behold looking very out of place, was a huge bowl of french fries!

What! I jumped up and began shouting my halleluYah’s and doing a happy dance much to the confusion of the people around me, only my husband knew of my craving! He was dumbstruck too and I hugged our hostess tightly, however did you know I asked! She shrugged delighted, I just felt you should have French fries today!

And as I tucked in to my fries, I smiled tearfully. I have my opinion on the sudden craving, almost as though Papa was nudging me playfully, test me on this and see what I do. And I sense the lovable nudge again, that so what is it that you want?

Sometimes with in trepidation, we lift our pens to pen our dreams or desires perhaps because we are afraid of disappointment or being too large in our dreaming, I’m not sure. But I have met many a soul who will not ask dreamily for the laid down surrendered dreams of life. Yet, when I think back on those French fries, I see a Lover and a Dream Giver who says, Delight yourself in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:5). 

So now I sit in that intimate space knowing the nudge is real and it’s real for many others too. What is on our hearts today, what is it that we crave in our spirits, He loves to hear and loves to watch us dream deep dreams birthed in the Spirit of God.
So grab a tea and share with God, the dreams and desires on your heart today and delight yourself in His Grace! Who knows, it’s time for a new batch of french fries to be served!

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