Throughout my life, I have had a very busy dream life at night, everything from creative conundrums to the perfunctory or profound. About 75 percent of these scintillating, subconscious strayings awaken me with food for thought…and word. My family will be the first to tell you of the earfuls these have received over the years, but for good reason. I have found God speaking to me in phenomenal ways through these dreams. Last night was just such a gift.
So, it was the present time, and life was normal (rarely the case for my mid-night meanderings). Except for one detail. I was out at a restaurant waiting to be seated for a meal with a group of people, but I was wearing a boot on my foot and sitting in a wheelchair (as I did in actuality for months on end in 2012). A man and his wife from my church happened to arrive at the same time and asked me how I was doing. They were as surprised to see me wearing the boot and in the wheelchair as I was. I wasn’t sure how to answer but felt compelled to lie: “Well, you know, I’m still recovering.” In the dream, I knew I was wearing the boot and sitting in that wheelchair because I was faking an extended recovery for one reason or another. As soon as the man and woman looked away, I took the boot off and walked to my table. I sat down with my group and put the boot back on. I sat there in the wheelchair wondering why I was faking and lying to my friends.
After the meal ended, the same man and woman from my church came over and invited me to come to their house. I was delighted, as I’ve always wanted to know this particular couple better, but I realized I would have to continue this injury façade or confess to them that I had lied. When we arrived at their home, I was faced with a big problem. The only way in was up an enormous staircase. There was no way around it. I either had to come clean and walk up those stairs or remain in my own “lie-trap” and not enter their home. That is where the dream ended…with a choice before me to “go in” or “stay out.”
A few observations. This specific couple at my church are very involved with both men’s and women’s ministries, as well as the prayer ministry. I can easily imagine that they represent a pathway of promotion in the spiritual realms. For whatever reason, I am holding onto old “injuries” that are holding me back from walking freely along that pathway. Now is a time of decision. Will I allow old wounds, old hurts, old fears or mindsets keep me from experiencing both the challenges and the rewards of embracing all that lies ahead? Will I falsely claim, “I can’t do it,” pretending that I don’t have what it takes, when I know that God has healed me completely and set me free to do so much more than I can even imagine? The more I unpack this dream, the more I realize the depth of the choice before me. And while it may appear as one big decision, it is actually a culmination of daily decisions: take off the boot, get out of the chair, leave them behind…and climb. One stair at a time.
“No matter what happens in life, big or small, if you will learn to let it go and move forward, then your past doesn’t have to poison your future.” – Joel Osteen
The Art of Choosing True Life 