I was sitting in the dark aditorium crowd watching teenagers give their testimonies on how they came to Christ. One young lady got up to the stage and she was holding a doll.
"I was lost in the darkness of my heart," She began, telling a very sad home life of feeling forgotten. "Yet somehow, in the grace of my Father God, through this doll, I was reminded of the hope and light of Jesus. This doll was almost like a forerunner for me. Just like this doll was constantly there in my loneliness, Jesus is constantly there." She pointed to her heart, "And now Jesus is constantly here. My heart is no longer dark; it now has the light of Jesus Christ. I am not forgotten by my Creator. I don't understand how God blessed it, but I am saved now and I praise God for this doll!"
Tears came to my eyes. It was a doll like the kind I make and I knew it was one that I had made. The young lady didn't say where the doll was from, she even admitted she couldn't remember. For that I was glad. I didn't want to be known. All I wanted was for God to get the glory. He had done all the work. It was His light.
A young man came on stage with a very similar story. Again, not saying where the toy had come from. The rejoicing thought that I had been useful for God's purposes thrilled me down to my toes. It was something I couldn't tell others about. "Don't let the left hand know what the right hand is doing." It was something I just had to praise God for and continue walking in His ways. I had to make more toys. I had to continue the work that God was blessing....
And with that, I woke up from my dream. Wow. Made me want to make more toys.
That was many years ago.
I don't quite know what to make of epic dreams like this and the gunner dream. I recently saw Daniel at Sight and Sound Theatre in Pennsylvania, and there are a lot of dreams in there from God with interpretations and meaning. I feel like most of my dreams, though, are just a random and illogical combination of all my thoughts from the day. But some dreams are like these, with some deep desire of mine, whether that's to be used by the Lord in my gifts in salvations of young people or to be bold and faithful in the face of death.
I did a thesis paper of Florence Nightingale my senior year, researching and showing how all her life events prepared her well for her invaluable work at Scutari which led to a major change in army hospital management and eventually all hospitals. In her teens she wrote down in her journal, "God spoke to me and called me to His service." Then she entered into the high society party life and did nothing with that calling. The passion for caring and healing was stuffed beneath rich furs and frilly dresses. Years later she looked back through her journal and came across that entry. Guilt flooded her as she knew she had done nothing. That spiraled her into being, as her sister reported in a letter to a friend, "Impossible to live with." Nursing was a dishonorable trade and hospitals were dreaded places; but being a good nurse was exactly what Florence wanted. Her parents refused and Florence's health broke down, consolable by travels abroad. Finally she was allowed to study at Kaiserwerth, Germany, the cleanest and most reputable training hospital. From there she studied with French nuns, became a superintendent at a respectable hospital back in England, and eventually gathered a group of just under 40 nurses to go serve the soldiers in the Crimean War.
The thought of having a calling and doing nothing, just living distracted by the rest of my life, and then returning to it to become grumpily "impossible to live with" is a terrible thought. I don't want that. I don't want to ignore what God has given me.
That is one of the reasons I have begun the Happy Beloved Pig Toy Store!
I am made in the image of the Creator, and by design I create. I love crafting story characters and crafting toys stems out of that. Whether it's adding a fun flare for a unique doll or making up my own crochet pattern for animals, toys are so much fun to make.
If you haven't already, head on over to The Happy Beloved Pig Toy Store page! There's a gallery of toys I've made in the past and also a place where you can order your very own!
Proverbs 16:9
"The mind of man plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps."
We'll see what God wants to do. I have a concept idea to one day expand into a debt-free small business, which will have to have its humble budget friendly beginnings like this, and then eventually, if the Lord wills, join my brother in his debt-free retreat center endeavours, as well as support the local crisis pregnancy center. Onward for Christ!
