Then I awoke, not on the packages, but in my own bedroom. Beside me, my wife, whose name isn’t Jill, was still sleeping. I’d experienced a lucid dream spanning a week, yet in reality, it was only a few hours.
It was predawn. I dressed, brewed a cup of Cuban coffee and proceeded to the porch, my favorite place to watch the sun rise.
I took out my journal and detailed the events and individuals from the seven days encompassed by the dream. The scenarios and characters were fictitious. However, some elements were familiar.
I don’t have a neighbor named Alice. Nevertheless, I’ve engaged in discussions with colleagues, in my field of IT, about Jesus and Him not being religious.
I don’t have a friend named Fred suffering from pancreatic cancer, but I do have several close friends who are facing serious illnesses.
I don’t have friends named Sammy and Milly with a son named Alton, but I wish I did.
I don’t have a co-worker named Kevin facing personal challenges and showing interest in my faith. However, I do work closely with someone I pray will stop believing God and science can’t co-exist.
I don’t have colleagues like Harrison and Mike who desire to inflict as much pain on me as possible, but I have a person, who is closer than a co-worker, who seems to have that agenda.
As the sun started to tint the grey sky with soft pastels, I jotted down the themes that came to me while I rested on the packages.
During the seven days of dreams, as I listened to His voice, I learned:
- To love others as Christ loves me
- To converse with God, who is ever-present, and to listen as I go
- That He will guide me in loving each person He places in my path
- To fully “see” people around me and not quickly move past people to the next obligation
- To yield to His kindness as I love
- That my life is brimming with the abundant grace of God
- That I am appointed as an ambassador of Christ to convey His grace
- To always be prepared to discuss the Hope of Christ within me
- That difficulties, such as Fred’s cancer, are not surprises to God
- To recall God’s love for me during tough times
- Not to gauge my happiness by my circumstances
- That individuals like Alton, with special needs, bring extraordinary joy
- When I seek comfort from God, He endows me with joy and courage
- That I possess no righteousness of my own, only the righteousness of Christ
By then the sun was in full view and I knew exactly what I needed to do. I called my spiritual mentor, Alfred. He agreed to meet me for breakfast.
After ordering our usual bowls of grits, poached eggs, crumbled bacon, and biscuits, I shared the dream with him. Confident in his wisdom, I believed he could provide some meaningful insights.
I also shared with him the notes I’d written earlier that morning.
He was patient as I recounted my story, asking a few clarifying questions. Afterwards, I asked him for his overall thoughts and possible interpretation.
Alfred paused a moment, then said, “Your times on the packages seem like a picture of our position in the heavenlies with Christ. The timeless dawn, vivid colors, and what I’m calling an ocean of love, give me a sense of what heaven must be like. I had goose bumps as I listened.
“Reminds me of verses like Colossians 3:1-4, and Ephesians 2:4-7 where it speaks of believers being raised with Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places. Your dream gave me a glimpse of being with Christ in heaven, yet still living on earth.
“This is a real gift, Bobby. You’ve been given an eternal peek into our heavenly position, an almost “real life” perspective of what Paul meant when he commanded us to set our minds on things above, not on temporal things. [1]
“What do you think the packages represent?” he asked.
“At first, I thought it was up to me to deliver them all, I responded. “That speaks to how full of duties my life feels. I can be so busy that people, and opportunities to love, can seemed like obstacles to taming the task list. But now I’m realizing much of my to-do list is from me and not God.
“Those packages are not tasks, they’re bundles of God’s love: His kindness, His peace, His joy, His presence to be given as presents to others.
“Though I’m very saddened at how I’ve been, I can hear you tell me that God’s mercies are new every morning.”
Alfred nodded.
My eyes began to sting as I continued, “Alfred, I’ve waisted so much of my life striving to fill a bottomless chasm in my heart that screams – ‘I’m not enough.’
“Though in my head, I’ve known it’s about Christ’s righteousness, my heart hasn’t caught up yet. It believed it was up to me to earn His love, to succeed, to please.
“Until now,” I said, a spark of joy rising in my heart. “Because of the gift of a dream, my whole world has been turned upside down.
“Alfred, you’ve patiently loved me and guided me all these years. You know how distracted I’ve been.”
Alfred smiled and nodded.
“This dream has turned my to-do list on its head. My duties are no longer the main thing. My goal now is to love.
“I feel so much more present. I want to truly see the Sammys God brings my way and not just pass them by to check off another task on my never-ending task list.
“No! Completing my tasks without problems is no longer my main goal. Delivering God’s daily packages of love is what I want to be about.
“I’ll trust Him to get done what needs to get done. The tasks are now simply the paths God uses to bring me to the folks He wants me to love.”
Alfred laughed with joy. I knew at that moment it’s what he’d been praying for me all these years.
Stay Tuned for The Epilogue, Walking it Out.
[1] Colossians 3:1-4
Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.
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Nonfiction books by the Author:
Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn’t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God’s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.
For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It’s not just a good idea, it’s vital to our journey as human beings. Rhythms of Joy
Novels by the Author:
What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for? Beyond Time
By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains
Please Check out the Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.