*Note: Just in case you’re the one reader of this blog who hasn’t heard, my book “peace for the journey: in the pleasure of his company” has released. Just in case you missed the book trailer, here it is again (truthfully, I need to keep this out in front for readers, but haven’t a clue as to how I might incorporate it into my header, etc. Help Tekeme friends!).
And just in case you’ve hopped over here to find out the first three winners of an autographed copy of my book… here they are, as drawn by my three kids that are currently home (please e-mail me your snail mail, and I’ll get these to you this week): Amelia drew Danielle @ Sojourner, Jadon drew Cindy @ Letters from Mid-life, and Nick drew Laura @ the Wellspring. Some of you have asked regarding getting an autographed copy from me. I’m willing to send you one, but I cannot offer you free shipping like some of these other venues. The cost of ordering from me is $15 per book and $5 shipping for up to 3 books. Please e-mail me your interest.
With my next post, I hope to address some of the questions/thoughts/kindnesses you’ve had for me over the past week. Truly, you are more than I deserve, and I am grateful for every grace you’ve extended in my direction. There will also be another occasion to win a copy of the book, but for now, I simply wanted to write my “heart” with this post and to “speak in the daylight” what God has “whispered to me in the dark.” Shalom.
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“‘What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.'” {Matthew 10:27}
“Mommy, I don’t mind playing by myself in the basement anymore.”
“Why daughter, what led you to change your mind?”
“Because I’ve discovered that the basement is big enough to hold my dreams.”
This was the conversation I had with my daughter in the early morning hours, not on the stage of real life but on the stage of my subconscious—a place where dreams have a habit of displaying their truth in a way that sometimes seems so real, I have a hard time separating reality from fantasy. This time, however, there was no mistaking the dream for reality. Why?
For starters, when I awoke I noticed the above conversation scrawled out on the pad of paper that sits on the nightstand by my bed—a good indication that something took place in the night that I wanted to recall with clarity in the day. I’ve learned to keep the pen at the ready, even in sleep. Secondly, we don’t have a basement. Lastly, even if we did have a basement, I’m fairly certain that, at seven years old, my daughter wouldn’t be ready to make such a bold proclamation regarding her fear of the dark and of being alone. I certainly wasn’t ready at her age to tackle the haunt of the basement that accompanied most of my childhood dwellings. I’m not certain I’m ready to tackle it now, but at forty-four I’m walking ever closer to being able to say with all the confidence of a dream walker…
I don’t mind playing in the basement anymore, because I’ve discovered that the basement is big enough to hold my dreams.
The basement. When I was a child it represented a few different things for me:
- Isolation.
- Darkness.
- Mystery.
- Quietness.
- Hiddenness.
- Confinement.
While growing up, the basement really wasn’t the place where my family lived corporately. We did our living upstairs. We ate upstairs, slept upstairs, and talked upstairs, all the while relegating the basement as a place of individual exploration and retreat. As a child, descending the stairs into the basement seemed like more of a punishment to me rather than a place of escape. To their credit, my parents went to great lengths to make our “underneath” a pleasant getaway for my sister and me. We had a playroom filled with toys and an open invitation to come and to live out our imaginations within its borders. I was more inclined to RSVP my acceptance if my friends or sister would choose to join in the fun, but to go it alone? To freely choose my isolation over the corporate adventure that was taking place in the upper chambers of our home?
Not likely.
I was too scared. Too frightened of what I could not clearly see. Too unsure of what might happen while on individual safari in the basement. Too afraid that I might miss out on the excitement of upstairs living. Too uncertain of the silence that surrounded me. Too confident that the silence would soon be replaced with sounds I couldn’t handle… with suspicions I couldn’t manage.
No, back then basement living wasn’t for me. My fear kept me from it, and if I’m not careful in this season of living, my fear might keep me postured accordingly… confined within the safety of the upstairs without ever venturing downward to discover the foundational beauty that resides beneath a well-structured home. A well-fortified heart.
Basements aren’t all bad. As I think about them tonight, some forty years beyond my initial understanding regarding their worthiness, the basement represents a few old things for me with a new twist:
- Isolation, moments away from the world in order to be alone with God.
- Darkness, not to hide me but to grow me.
- Mystery, the secrets of an unseen God that cultivate my trust and replace my fears with faith.
- Quietness, permission enough to settle down and settle in on what God has to say.
- Hiddenness, permission enough to move away from life’s stage in order to allow God a moment beneath the lights.
- Confinement, closing off the world’s crowding so that my heart and thoughts and dreams have room enough to breathe… to formulate and to incubate in a safe place with a good God.
I’ve been to the basement in recent days, friends. Long before “peace for the journey” ever made its entrance onto the stage of Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Winepress, it made its entrance into my dreams. It was a seed that germinated in the “basement” with God—a season in my life when I faced my fears and risked the isolation, darkness, mystery, quietness, hiddenness, and confinement of the downstairs in order to hear the heart of God regarding my dreams… my pen.
What birthed there, births now in living color for you to witness. Nothing about the journey in between those two births has been routine or predictable. This has been the most unpredictable road of faith I’ve walked in forty-four years. I hope to flesh that out a bit more for you in days to come because I think, perhaps, we’re tempted to assume that basement dreaming and the faith building therein always have to work themselves out in predictable measure. That somehow, my journey with my dreams has to resemble yours and vice-versa.
Basement dreaming with God is never without individual color and imagination. In the midst of your isolation and quietness with God, a foundation of faith is built that will best be able to hold and to fortify the dreams of your heart. What is erected there between the two of you will serve as your solid footing for the season to come. Don’t let anyone tell you that your house has to be built according to a structured set of blueprints… that dreaming only comes in one shade of color. Dreams come in kingdom shades of color, and the last time I checked, our Father’s palette was limitless.
You will get there, friends. Perhaps a trip to the basement might be in accordance with your next step of faith. Don’t fear the descent; instead, embrace it knowing that with each step into the darkness, God’s light shines brighter. I don’t imagine it will be long before your time in the basement will take on new meaning for you even as it has for me. Life in the upper chambers will concede some of its worthiness to the lower level, understanding that without the basement’s underpinning, the floors up above could easily disassemble into piles of rubble.
The basement is big enough to hold all of our dreams… is safe enough to grow them… is isolated enough, dark enough, mysterious enough, quiet enough, hidden enough, and confined enough to allow us open access to our Father’s heart. His heart is where our dreaming meets with the reality of his goodness and where our fear is replaced by a simple faith—a settled confidence in the One who authors all faith journeys and who promises to perfect them along the way and as we go.
God is where I want to live. He is where I want to dream. Accordingly, I don’t much mind playing in the basement anymore. It’s a good place to breathe with God, to grow an imagination, and to exist within the sacred possibilities of what he’s imagined on my behalf long before I made my entrance into this world. This week, I invite you to join me in the downward descent to God’s playroom so that his up and coming plans for your life might have a moment or two beneath the spotlight. It’s going to be good, because HE IS GOOD. As always…
peace for the journey,
~elaine
Copyright © May 2010 – Elaine Olsen
Elaine,
The basement…I will call it, my PLAYROOM where God reveals the realities of the UPPER-ROOM. I love what you said here, that the basement is the place where our dreaming meet with God's reality…My heart skip with new joy because…faith in born in such dark isolated place as the basement.
Your post blessed my heart. I will not fear to go where my dreams can grow and become realities. I will dream some more today!
Love and hugs,
Gladwell
Elaine,
I think we all have those places where God grows us. For me, it seems to be outside in the midst of His beautiful creation.
My actual basement is the place where I regularly meet with Him over His Word and with a prayer in my heart. It is a place of solitude and comfort for me.
Have a blessed day,Elaine.
leah
Brilliant, my friend. That foundation in our relationship – our journey – with God is necessary before any work can be accomplished in our spirits.
Your words of wisdom are a blessing. This particular part of your post really caught my eye:
"Don’t let anyone tell you that your house has to be built according to a structured set of blueprints… that dreaming only comes in one shade of color. Dreams come in kingdom shades of color, and the last time I checked, our Father’s palette was limitless."
So many times, I've had people come to me saying, "God wants you to do this", or "I have a word for you from the Lord." When it came right down to it, those "messages" were NOT from God, but from their own agendas. If we haven't spent time in the basement…building our foundation, dreams, and relationship with our Father, then we are ill-equipped to discern the difference.
Excellent, excellent post…I'll be pondering it throughout the day.
Missing you!
Hugs,
Beth
Hey Mrs. Elaine:) Happiest (belated:) Mother's Day to you!:) I have your book a comin' to me in the mail:) I too want to be able to know Him better than I do now. To have genuine love for HIM.
Blessings, ((HUGS)), Love in HIM,
katiegfromtennessee
Elaine,
Just ordered my copy. Just now!
So, so excited to get it in the mail.
It's no wonder that God chose to put my new prayer room in the finished part of my own basement. Today was the first day in over 11 weeks that I had decided in my head not to go there for morning prayer time — yet halfway through my time upstairs – He drew me down – deep – into the place where He speaks to me from out of darkness so that I can share [with clarity] into the light!
Your words were so well received from my heart today because God has been taking me to places of solitude and silence and then shows me how to listen to Him in those places. It is awesome!
I am getting your book from Amazon – can't wait!
Blessings, Stephanie
wifeforthejourney:
Having been a child who grew up with a literal basement, this post resonates with me on several levels.
God indeed provides faith and encouragement in and through our isolation. May I have a heart unafraid of God's ordained "seclusions" and a willingness to share what happens in that quiet place, when the time is right.
We all need a from-the-basement-up kind of faith!
Love you,
Billy
Elaine, love the thoughts that dreams come in all colors — and that our Father's palette is limitless. We are indeed works of His art, aren't we?
Have a wonderful week!
congratulations on your book release!
the trailer was beautiful and very moving.
i will rush out to purchase a copy.
My "basement" is the upstairs family room. Often God calls on me in the night where I wander down the dark hallway to the other end of the house. My journal and bible already there and it's is there that God reveals his wonders to me. None of my kids like to hang out there to long by themselves. Funny thing the mind of a child.
P.S. Congratulations to the winners! I'm gonna have to have a serious talk with those name-drawing young'uns of yours, though! 😉
Amelia–Thank you sweet, girl for drawing my name! What a blessing.
Elaine, thank you for this rich and inspiring post. We lived in many different houses while we grew up, but I remember in one house an attic. It loved to go there and play with my Barbies and have time to myself. Now, we have a 'back' room where I try and hide from it all and slip into the presence of God. Those moments are ones I treasure and hold dear. They are moments that I need more of.
Girl, God has blessed you with the ability to write what is on my heart. thanks for always sharing your heart. I'm blessed.
hope you had a beautiful mother's day.
prayers and blessings…
I'm working on finding my own "basement" where God's dreams for me can grow.
I'm so honored to be one of the winners of your book. You can send it to the address you have (the PO box). I'm looking forward to it!
The only true peace I have is that "Peace, peace….wonderful peace…coming down from the Father above!"
I know this is the peace you refer to in your book. It's what the world needs. It's what every soul needs. And through your book, perhaps many more will come to know true peace!
Love you sister!
Marilyn…in Mississippi
This blog is awesome Elaine. So many times God has taken me into a basement season, but I have never looked at it this way. That stairway descent is scary and everything IS so dark and cold and lonely. However, I always know He is refining me and it is those times that are the sweetest with Him. From now on I will look at those "basements" with anticipation! Thanks for sharing this wisdom!
I ordered your book and cannot wait to get it in the mail! I am venturing to my own basement and excited for what's in store, although a bit nervous too. I have felt some stirrings in my spirit and am looking forward to some time alone with God. Some time for Him to lead me, guide me, and grow me.
You are a blessing!
Jennifer
I couldn't help but think how true it is that all that happens on the surface (the visible) is first formed below/within.
The basement in my childhood home was, for me, paradise. Dad worked on one side while mother worked on the other. In between the two of them I'd ride my trike round-n-round, or ride a wooden sawhorse as though it were Trigger.
So excited about all the "buzz" over your book. I've got my eye on the New York Times …
Love,
Kathleen
I find myself often holding my breath as I read through your posts…and exhaling deeply at the end while thinking…oh, yes Lord…
I loved the thought of the limitless palette, too…and to each his(or her) own blueprint of dreams…
LOVED this, Elaine!
Got your book Saturday…
am lovin' it!
You have one of the sweetest hearts in the world.
So, so glad that we're friends.
Sweet dreams.
Looking forward to your new book, and hoping I win from Runner Mom, but I know my source of Peace is only found in Christ. There is nothing like it. Comfort can come from others, but there are so many times, that only the peace that HE brings will calm my heart. Jackie
wifeforthejourney:
I'm actually commenting on a link to-blogs-past, your "Golden Moment," post from 2008 from the bottom of "basement dreaming…"
I love seeing you and Amelia together. Your blog is, in a way, the scrap book you've never really had the time to put together. Thank you for all the good things you do!
Love,
Billy
Thank you, Nick! YOurs are my lucky fingers!! I can't wait, Elaine. With bated breath.
And I love what Gladwell says. I'm feeling these words today.
luv you,
laura