July 22, 2007
Be Careful What You Wish
Genesis 16:1-2

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, ‘The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’”

Prior to September 2001, my family and friends who knew me very well knew that I had three wishes: 1) to be the bald chick on Star Trek (she was sooooo hot!), 2) to get a boob job before I was 40 (I never had “perky” boobs, not even when I was a teenager) and 3) to get a tattoo (I hadn’t decided what kind or where but I knew I wanted one). After I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November of that year and endured three subsequent surgeries, I began chemo treatments in February of 2002. Guess what? I lost my hair! I was as bald as a cue ball during some of the coldest months of the year in Georgia. As a result of my mastectomy, guess what? I had breast reconstruction surgery! But only partially and only to one breast (okay, Lord, I should have been a little more specific). If my insurance company and my doctors ever quit arguing and actually get around to doing something, guess what? I will get a completed boob job (both sides matching, thank you very much) and the piece de resistance, a tattoo! Remember the movie “Phenomenon”? There’s a scene where John Travolta is being tested by a NASA guy to see how smart he has become as a result of his “accident”. The guy asks him a question about determining a man’s age and Travolta’s character begins asking him all kinds of questions in return so that he can give an accurate answer. The NASA guy is getting noticeably perturbed and Travolta finally looks at him and says, “Specifics, Bob”. That’s it in a nutshell: specifics. How it must delight the heart of God to hear our “specifics”! Would we speak in generalities over coffee with our best friend? No way, we want every last morsel of detail, the good, the bad and the ugly. God created us that way…for relationship. And His desire is no different. Oh, sweet friend, would you allow yourself today to share the specifics in your heart? Would you dare to believe that God is waiting on the edge of His seat…for you? Would you take the time - take the chance - to hear what’s on His heart as well? You won’t regret one moment. And it might just surprise you that what you wish for, He wishes for you. Note: Vanna used to turn over letters. Now she touches blank letter boxes, and the letter appears.

Dawn Hood