If I could, I would…

Hey, Siestas! We will do our random drawing later today as promised and, if you don’t mind a little delay, post our biography winners within the next forty-eight hours so we can leave time for you to respond to this post. I learned something new about you over the previous post: YOU ARE READERS. And I love that. Get a load of the number of comments to that post! Of course, it makes sense when you think about it. Blog readers usually are…well…readers. I have already ordered several books from your recommendations and others of you mentioned titles that stirred up great memories of biographies past.I am a dyed in the wool book nerd so this totally spoke my love language.

I’ve been thinking about something since AJ’s recent post about stepping back from her LPM job for the sake of her family. In that post and in the one that followed, we hashed over the painful truth that, actually, no one can do everything and, unless our all is Jesus, no one can have everything. We have limited resources of time, energy, and ability. But, I thought it would be fun to list a few things (dreams, if you will) that we’d each do…if only we could. If only we were not limited by time, energy, and ability, or money, for heaven’s sake. How would you complete the sentence, “If I could, I would…?” Here are the ground rules: YOU CAN ONLY NAME THREE THINGS. You have to choose. Keep in mind, these aren’t regrets. (i.e. “If I could, I would…live my whole life again without making that stupid choice.” We all have plenty of those and they’re not likely to encourage others much.) The things we’re listing on this post are wishes! Dreams can say a lot about a person and reshape how we picture one another. For instance, maybe I’ll find out today that Moose Mama secretly wishes she could sky dive, or katiegfromtennessee has a long standing dream of being a zookeeper, or Sister Lynn has always wanted to take tuba lessons. You see, this could change everything. OK, well not everything. Not even much. But, for crying out loud, wouldn’t it at least be a little fun in a grueling week? Here are three of mine:

If I could, I would…

1) Travel to every country on earth.

2) Teach elementary school Sunday School.

3) Learn sign language fluently.

OK, how about you?

Share

1,292 Responses to “If I could, I would…”

If you'd like your own pic by your comment, go to Gravatar.com. Click the first button "Get your gravatar today ->", and it will walk you through a simple process to select a picture.

Comments:

  1. 701
    Kim says:

    1. Travel back in time and actually witness key Bible events (the parting of the Red Sea, David’s private worship, the birth of Jesus, Paul’s first teaching after his conversion and the list goes on and on)
    2. Visit Egypt and have a history lesson and guided tour by the leading archeological expert
    3.Be a synchronized swimmer and partner with Gene Kelley (He probably would have been amazing to watch. He was a creative genius and real athlete as it relates to dance. Wow! Can you imagine?)

    • 701.1
      Yanna says:

      Really good ones Kelly, I liked the time travel idea, and Gene Kelly. Are you a synchronized swimmer? I think Gene Kelly smiled over that thought. He would have been a great synchonized swimmer. Really a cool idea to picture.

  2. 702
    Janet says:

    1. My grandsons would live a block away from me and be at my house to play every day.

    2. I would work in my yard most every morning and have a stunning flower/water garden to show for it.

    3. I would enjoy the solitude of a solo prayer/study retreat every month in a secluded cabin, preferably near water of some sort – the ocean comes to mind.

  3. 703
    mk says:

    1. See my two oldest married and fulfilling their calling to Africa and Israel and be brave enough to visit once they are there! ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. Have no money worries and my husband & I tour America in a RV with our youngest. What a great homeschooling year that would be!

    3. Live in a warm, sunny, no-spiders, no snakes, no lizards, near a great Bible believing, Holy Spirit inspired church where we can have true fellowship – hmmm – sounds like heaven! ๐Ÿ™‚

    • 703.1
      Jana Tallent says:

      mk, I read about your dream to travel in a RV touring America and homeschooling. I think that sounds amazing and we actually have a Christian family locally here in Tampa Fl that is doing just that. They have been featured on the news. They sold everything, house included and just set out on a years journey with their 4 children. They feel God has called them on this journey. They are blogging about it and I have been following it. Thought you may want to taste a little of your dream through their blogs this next year. Enjoy and God Bless!!

      http://gfamweb.withonline.net/index.html

  4. 704
    Corinne says:

    If I could, I would:

    1. be a marathon runner

    2. learn Greek and Hebrew so I could read Scripture as it was written

    3. travel, travel, travel

  5. 705
    Rebecca says:

    If I could do three thing
    1 beable to spend atleast eight hours in gods word a day
    2 travel
    3 to go back to collage

  6. 706

    If I could I would:

    1. Quit working and study, study, study my Bible more and just enjoy being in my home.

    2. Have a big pool in my backyard.

    3. Take an Alaskan cruise.

  7. 707
    Kate says:

    1. Work with my husband to build houses and help worthy but struggling people get into them

    2. Learn how to say just what people need to hear and know the exact moment that they are open to be led to Jesus

    3. Won the lottery and spread it around

  8. 708

    If I could I would:

    1) Have Starbucks coffee with Beth Moore and tell her what her Bible Studies have done in my life.

    2) Move back to my hometown so that I can be a part of my neices & nephews lives as they are growing up.

    3) Buy a house on the lake so our children can enjoy the outdoors and use it for ministry to other youth.

  9. 709
    R says:

    1) Own horses, and ride them a lot!!

    2) Be an awesome homeschool mom who was ORGANIZED, NEAT and TIDY and never TIRED!!

    3) Be a peacemaker within my husband’s and my extended families!!

  10. 710
    aussie monica says:

    1. Live six months of every year in Australia with family and six months of the year in Canada with family

    2. Open orphanages all over Africa for all the orphans and have lots of caregivers for them

    3. Homeschool my children

  11. 711
    jenn says:

    If I could I would:

    1. go back to school for a degree in English or journalism or something that has writing as a major portion of it
    2. read for hours on end day after day….especially the classics that take too much thought to digest for someone with mommy brain
    3. take my kids to the movies as often as a good one comes out (this would require both money and the ability to stay awake once the lights go out!)

  12. 712
    Leigh says:

    1. Finally get my professional camera and shoot animals, high end fashion, family portraits, etc, and ROCK at Photoshop retouching.

    2. Play with and feed a bottle to a baby tiger. (Animal lover).

    3. Like the other reader: Travel first class all over Europe for as long as I want to. (I’ve never been there).

  13. 713
    fiona lynne says:

    1. quit my job and spend my time with the women at the asylum centre on my street who I adore

    2. drive from Cairo to Cape Town (round the west coast, cut across to the east and down ๐Ÿ™‚

    3. Get my parents to sell their business and finally start being happy again

  14. 714

    If I could I would…
    #1. Learn how to dance properly
    #2 Meet Beth Moore
    #3 Find a non-exercise cure to every frustrated mothers
    ‘muffin-top’

  15. 715
    Carol says:

    If I could I would:
    1) Learned to play the piano
    2) Written a book while I had all the time 4 years ago
    3) Ride a subway in New York where our Daughter lives

  16. 716
    Kim says:

    1. Travel with my husband and family A LOT!

    2. Preach/teach the Word of God

    3. Work from home writing bible studies

  17. 717
    Aimee Horstman says:

    If I could, I would by a beautiful “coach” or RV, whatever you want to call it.
    I currently homeschool our two children, but to be able to do that I also have to watch 3 other children through the day.
    I would climb in that RV with my husband and our TWO children and our Catahoula hound dog, “Georgia” and tour ALL the world, LEARNING!
    Ah, the places to see, the cuisine to eat, the cultures to explore..
    that is my dream. NO restrictions, NOTHING holding me back.

  18. 718
    Ruth Anne says:

    1. own a yarn shop

    2. go to a Duke-UNC basketball came at Cameron Indoor Stadium

    3. cross-country ski

  19. 719

    If I could I’d
    1. See my husband achieve his dream of writing songs for a living.
    2. Watch my children live their lives full out for Jesus.
    3. bring encouragement and laughter to groups through writing and public speaking.
    anotherbattlewon.blogspot.com

  20. 720
    Jennifer H. says:

    1) have a big ranch in West Texas with lots of horses

    2) go back to school and get my PhD in social work

    3) provide individualized education for every child with an intellectual or developmental disability so they can reach their goals

  21. 721
    Laura says:

    1. travel the world with my family

    2. fund a scholarship(s) at my son’s wonderful school

    3. spend a week on an Amish farm

  22. 722
    Sharon says:

    If I could I would:

    Buy a cabin in the mountains

    Take a trip to Israel

    Have the gumption to teach a Ladies Bible class

  23. 723
    themomma says:

    If I could I would:
    1. Go to school to become a baker
    2. Open up a family bakerey…I am the momma
    3. Take my family back to China where we adopted one of our
    daughters.

  24. 724
    Melanie says:

    1) Relieve my mom’s financial worries

    2) Travel to Israel & Greece

    3) Be cast in a Broadway musical

  25. 725
    mommytotwo says:

    If I could, I would….

    1. Catch up on my laundry and other household chores!!
    2. Move to a farm in Vermont or Pennsylvania.
    3. Learn how to play the violin.

  26. 726
    Rachel says:

    If I could I would….
    1) Be in a cage and swim with a Great White Shark
    2) Go over seas to a nation where Christianity is restricted and speak to the people there
    3) Meet Christian Martyrs like Tom White, and if he was still alive Richard Wurmbrand

  27. 727
    Cheryl says:

    1. Have at least one day here on earth with Jesus to ask questions like why do babies have to die?

    2. Marry a Godly man who knows how to lead a Godly home.

    3. Make sure my children and grandchilden were saved and know they would be with me in heaven one day.

  28. 728
    Angela says:

    1. Go on a road trip to the west coast of the U.S. and back – seeing everything!

    2. Have Beth Moore to my home for dinner.

    3. Have a cross cultural ministry to women travelling to many countries and ministering the Word of God to them.

  29. 729
    Marie says:

    1. Travel all over the world

    2.Cabin in mountains or beach house or house on serious acreage

    3.Complete freedom from depression.

  30. 730
    Bridgette Jencks says:

    I wish I could
    1. Go to Israel (and it would make it really, really awesome if Siesta Mama would host a trip…just sayin’)

    2. From Israel, I’d check out the rest of the world. I’d want to travel every way possible along the way – cruise, fly, drive, train, horseback… ๐Ÿ™‚

    3. I’d love to work with a big ministry team. Something like LPL where I could travel, learn, and praise ALL the time. I know I can do these things on my own, but for it to be my “job” where the days are purposefully focused on those sorts of activities would be so awesome.

  31. 731
    Denise says:

    If I could I would…

    Sing with a professional group

    Adopt a baby

    learn to play piano

  32. 732
    Juanita says:

    1. Write novels for a living
    2. Take a year and travel the Eastern Hemisphere
    3. Ensure that each of my children follows their dreams

  33. 733
    Cathy says:

    If I could I would:

    1. Ski down the biggest, snow-covered mountain I could find.

    2. Go to the beach every day.

    3. Author picture books for children.

  34. 734
    Cindy Cobb says:

    1. Write my autobiography.

    2. Open a home for teens with behavioral challenges.

    3. Live where it snows all of the time…….submitted by someone who has only seen snow once.

    • 734.1
      Jennifer Jensen says:

      Cindy – to number 3 –
      Probably, you want to add that it melts by noon after it falls so you don’t actually have to shovel it ๐Ÿ™‚

  35. 735
    Myriam says:

    I love this game because it allows me to dream and dream more…

    1. I would QUIT my job

    2. Be a very successful real estate broker.

    3. Open an orphanage

    Then can we all bow down and storm the doors of heaven to make our dreams come true please. Thank you very much.

    Myriam

  36. 736
    S. Blessing says:

    1) Being a good giver.

    2) Get a degree.

    3) Travel to many places.

  37. 737
    Jennifer Jensen says:

    If I could I would:
    1. Read the Bible in the original languages
    2. Live close enough to my sisters to be able to have a weekly Bible Study with them
    3. Live so that my husband and children could see Jesus and want Him the way I have Him – through the Spirit’s power, I am praying to have the third, since I know God covets their salvation more than I do.

    Really, only 3? Nice way to prioritize, though. I didn’t even realize these were my main 3 until I had to narrow it down to only 3…great exercise.

  38. 738
    Ada - Lovin Him says:

    If I could, I would
    1) Hire one of those organizing pros to get my house in order so that I could be free of the clutter which would allow me to-
    2)Have people over every Sunday after church for brunch and fellowship – just to relax and be refreshed on the Lord’s day.
    3) Go on a month long mission trip every year where I could serve God and love others in a deeper way – really having time to know them and invest in their lives.

  39. 739
    Jennifer Millett says:

    If I could, I would…..

    1. Travel to Israel.

    2. See my husband and son be godly men sold out for Christ.

    3. Have a farm on a mountainside with goats, chickens and miniature donkeys.

  40. 740
    Mercy says:

    1) wish I can have just one more baby

    2) wish I can travel to a remote country and spend my time in solitude

    3) wish I had more time to read and read and rea

  41. 741
    Susan O'Connell says:

    If I could, I would become a meteorologist and perhaps join Jim Cantore when he goes out to the sites where a hurricane is about to hit! I would learn to parasail, visit the Grand Canyon!

  42. 742
    Susan C says:

    1. Travel with my whole family, husband,4 sons and their wives and 6 grandchildren so far. To show them th glories of God’s world

  43. 743
    Stephanie says:

    If I could I would…

    1. Learn several languages, one for fluency (like Spanish), the others (Greek and Hebrew) for study.

    2. Be a missionary and start a crisis pregnancy center in a country that doesn’t have one.

    3. Get my Masters of Theology

    Wow! Narrowing it down to three was hard! I needed about three more but that’s the great thing about dreams – there is no limit to how many you can have!

  44. 744
    Judy Rowland says:

    If I could, I would…

    1.) Open a Christian Preschool called Jabez Academy (I worked for over a year on a business plan and then couldn’t get a loan.)
    2.) Go to The National Laser Institute in Arizona and learn tattoo removal so I could use it as a ministry to remove tattoos for people who regret getting one, but can’t afford the procedure to have it taken off.
    3.) Be a Chaplain on a cruise ship!

  45. 745

    Ever since I was a child I wanted to do three things.

    1. Be an artist
    2. Learn sign language
    3. Teach

  46. 746
    Susan C says:

    2. Help my husband start a Christian Vocational School.

    3. Build a house that could be a place of fellowship.

  47. 747
    Joyce Izer says:

    1. Dance….I had polio when I was almost two.

    2. Help the elderly in my neighborhood.

    3. Make my yard into a bird and butterfly sanctuary.

  48. 748
    Colleen says:

    My three wishes or dreams are:
    1. Travel for a year
    2. Buy a home on the beach
    3. Play my violin in a recording studio with an orchestra for a christian band and then perform with them in a live concert.
    What fun !!!

  49. 749
    Marcia says:

    If I could, I would:
    1) be a nurse
    2) travel to Europe
    3) have another home by the water or mountains

  50. 750
    Heather Smith says:

    1. Teach a Christianity and Biblical References in Modern Television and Movies class.
    2. Be an Actress.
    3. Travel the world with my family.

Leave a Reply

To receive a daily digest of comments on this post, enter your email address below: