Seeds of Joy

Ideas are basically seeds of dreams. Between the three of us, Me, Myself & I, a lot of ideas are conceived but rarely live to the birth pain stage of fruition. I’m an excellent incubator for dream seeds. I have enough creativity to form the dream seed, and in my mind, raise it up to a colorful vision complete with sound and smells. Being a tactile sort, I can even feel it…in my mind.

Some dream seeds come during times that I call fantasy folly. For instance, I have redesigned and reconstructed our master bath many times over the 8 years we’ve lived here….again, in my mind. I want to rip out the small shower stall and its companion linen closet and replace it with a larger walk-in tiled shower that has a window on the exterior wall that overlooks a tiny walled courtyard lush with plants and a wall fountain. I think that would be awesome and relaxing. The existing narrow window in the room would be taken out and a French door installed in its place. I’d need a way to access the tiny courtyard, after all.

Ok, that’s the fantasy folly part, here’s the reality. As pretty as the dream bathroom is in my head, it is neither practical nor warranted. I take short showers, five minutes tops and that’s if I’m washing my hair…the conditioner needs two minutes. We have a huge corner soaking tub that has been used maybe five times in the eight years, maybe. I’ve tried to take luxurious baths but by the time the huge tub is filled I am beyond ready to get out and move on. I can’t bear to use that much water for one bath since I’ve been in countries where people have to walk a great distance with jugs just to have drinking water. My husband and I rarely use the long vanity with double sinks at the same time, so even that common set-up isn’t needed. What we want and what we need are often two different things. It isn’t wrong to want or dream. In and of themselves, dreams are harmless. I entertain myself a lot with them.

The problem comes when we allow discontent to seep into our minds and hearts, stealing our joy because the dream is just a dream and not our reality. If as Christians we are to emulate Jesus who lived a lifestyle of simplicity, should we not be cautious of always wanting more? Jesus didn’t have a closet full of clothes; He didn’t have a home or even a bed on which to lay His head. I imagine my small shower would have been luxurious to the traveling disciples. Dusting sand off your feet before lying down to sleep is a far cry from a hot shower.

Dreams can dance around in our minds, entertaining us but we need to be diligent about protecting our joy, and appreciation for all we have been given. Thankfulness brings satisfaction. Satisfaction brings joy. Joy brings appreciation. Appreciation brings thankfulness. If you’re going to birth anything, let the circle of thankfulness be your choice.