The Queen of Anonymity No More

I changed my mind about having privacy. I used to be the Queen of Anonymity. But I've decided that once you start blogging, once you start sharing with people your dream of being not just a writer but an author, your calling to proclaim "Behold your God!" from a mountaintop perspective (that was scary to climb)- why think I can still have my cautious, bubble of privacy and artificial peace? I can't- and maybe I really don't want that anymore.

I'm not advocating wild rides down the highway where I shout out my name to the world. But honestly- can I really stay small and cloistered in an anonymity? Can I ignore the admonishment of Isaiah 54 -in the name of false humility and a self-impoverished spirit ?

2 “ Enlarge the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.
3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants will inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.

Expansion and desolate cities getting inhabited are not the earmarks of anonymity!

Wikipedia tells us:
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ανωνυμία, meaning 'without a name' or 'name-less'. In colloquial use, the term typically refers to a person, and often means that the personal identity, or personally identifiable information of that person is not known.

More strictly, and in reference to an arbitrary element (e.g. a human, an object, a computer), .... "anonymity" of that element refers to the property of that element of not being identifiable within this set. If it is not identifiable, then the element is said to be "anonymous".

So how can I shout truth from the mountains, write books for people to read and be encouraged by- if I want to stay anonymous? My life's calling and the results of God's dream birthed in my life should be noticeable, and cause positive rippling effects in this world. It should be identifiable because our God is, Himself, quite amazing and noticeable!

I feel a song coming on....

"FROM THE HIGHEST OF HEIGHTS
To the depths of the sea
Creation’s revealing Your majesty
From the colours of fall
To the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique
In the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And You know them by name
You are amazing, God
All powerful, untamable
Awestruck, we fall to our knees
As we humbly proclaim
You are amazing, God" (I love this song!)

Now what in the world has brought this all on, you ask? I stopped in at the library today, heart trembling in anticipation of a NEW BOOK to read! Honestly, give me a new book that will change my life- instead of chocolate- any day!

Let me explain my book "anointing" to you. I have this "thing" about "seeing" the book God wants me to read, as I'm perusing the shelves of a library or thrift shop or book store. I can TELL when a book is meant for me. Maybe God knows how I learn best- and that's by reading, studying, delving into someone else's journey and lessons learned. He sees to it that I am well fed!

Today, with book in hand, I left the library feeling like I had been given a ticket to advancement. I always "advance" when I read- by that I mean, I take a step further, I decide not to give up the fight, I get encouraged to go another round. I honestly believe demons tremble when Lauren Caldwell gets a inspirational book of truth in her hands, because they know the book WILL affect me significantly. (Now you know why I want to be a writer who can inspire others to not quit in this life's battle we are in!)

I've been writing about having a dream, and about self-development (I always think of the library catalog categories as to what my writing would fall under). This book- Knit Together: Discover God's Pattern for Your Life- is the first non-fiction book Debbie Macomber has written, after having written over 150 novels, and selling over sixty million books! Talk about learning a secret from her about having a dream and self-development!!

I have to be honest- I am restraining myself from gulping down this book in one sitting, because I don't want it to end. Just reading the Foreword had me savoring the sense of what's to come- an impact will be made on my life, on my thinking, on my self-perspective. Let me share a tidbit from the Foreword by Liz Curtis Higgs;

"Each real-life story Debbie shares is designed to turn your secret dreams into spoken dreams and your spoken dreams into reality."

Is that good or what? That's enough for me to meditate on just for the entire day. In fact, I can't go racing on with my reading, because if I miss even just this one simple truth, I might miss getting on the train to my destination.

Think about this: your secret dreams have to first be birthed in your soul, and you hold them close to your heart. But then they have to get spoken. You need to tell someone about them. Then you get really crazy and start telling the world (it's easy to do with a blog!). Your dreams won't be so secret and private anymore. These spoken dreams will then be on their way to reality- and maybe due to the fact that others will come along side and be part of the dream coming to fruition.

It all starts with coming out of your tiny tent you live in- a humble, self-effacing tent. I know because I lived in that kind of a tent for so long, and thought I was doing God a favor by staying small and quiet. (My husband thinks I would be doing him a favor by staying quiet!) But he's resigned himself to the fact that Lauren has come out of her tent and is reporting for duty,and in that sense, I am only doing what expansion and dream fulfillment require of us.

I'm just coming out of the shadows of obscurity and privacy- for the sake of a dream.