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 thoughtβ¦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 wasnβt sure how to answer but felt compelled to lie: βWell, you know, Iβm still recovering.β 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 Iβve always wanted to know this particular couple better, but I realized I would have to continue this injury faΓ§ade 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 βlie-trapβ and not enter their home. That is where the dream endedβ¦with a choice before me to βgo inβ or βstay out.β
A few observations. This specific couple at my church are very involved with both menβs and womenβs 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 βinjuriesβ 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, βI canβt do it,β pretending that I donβt 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 behindβ¦and climb. One stair at a time.
βNo matter what happens in life, big or small, if you will learn to let it go and move forward, then your past doesnβt have to poison your future.β β Joel Osteen
The Art of Choosing True Life 