Heavy eyelids . . . wispy, delicate sleep. It's in delicate sleep that dreams are best remembered, but it's after delicate sleep that a person ceases to care. The reason? "I'm so tired. Give me some sleep," we say to ourselves. Such was my experience Sunday morning, when I forced myself out of bed, into the shower, and across the parking lot to open the church. Nevertheless, I had dreamt a significant dream - a dream about school, and I wasn't about to forget it.
Now I understand that for many, if not for most people, a dream about a classroom experience is less than frightening. You might react by saying, "Who cares?!! You think that's bad?!! You ought to hear about my dream!" When I shared my classroom dream experience to a few people yesterday . . . yes, it's true . . . they laughed at me (perhaps with me). "Wow Paul! That's not a nightmare!" they somewhat gently expressed. Yet in some measure their reaction helps to illuminate my main point (which shall be coming) in these two blogs . . . uh, scratch that . . . these three blogs (My Dream Part 1, My Dream Part 2, and My Dream Part 3).
Let me back up and begin to explain: When a person truly comes to Jesus Christ he or she comes with all of himself. He doesn't leave anything behind, but fully surrenders his life. Of course, many believe that they don't need to come to Jesus this way. They believe they can come to Christ with only a limited part of themselves, as if all of us, if we so decide, can divide our lives. We so easily say to the Lord, "I'll bring the failure to you Jesus that is hurting me today, but that other failure . . . that other hurt . . . well, that's a bit too difficult! I'm not ready for that yet." Indeed, this thought is very understandable because emotionally and psychologically we do not think we are ready. However, notwithstanding our insecurities about the way God sees us - in spite of all I have said above - Jesus knows about it all, and He watches and waits until we give Him ourselves completely. Silently, quietly . . . [long pause] . . . the Lord waits.
Have we really come to Him? That is a grand theological question. That is the great personal question. How much of you does it take for you to be saved? Does Jesus save the mind, but not the heart? Does Jesus save your present emotional life, but not your past emotional life? Can the two emotional lives be divided? Thank God that He is a God of grace. Thank God that He saves you before you are perfect. Still, God has no intention of letting even the smallest part of you go its own way. He has no plan to let any of you be held in a painful abyss.
Here's the point I am attempting to make before I apply this discussion to my dream: God wants to save all of you, because He loves all of you. Hmm . . . you may want to slow down and think about that statement. God wants to save all of you . . . hmm . . . What could that possibly mean?
"Even that sin?" you ask. No, not that sin, because that sin is not really who you are. If you are in Jesus Christ, you are God's son or daughter, and God's sons and daughters are not characterized by sin. They are characterized by righteousness. Does not the Apostle John tell us about the Christian's relationship to sin in his first letter?
1 John 3:6
No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
[You may have questions about that verse, and I understand the reasons for them, but let's not worry about them now. Those questions are for another blog or in a response under "comments."]
"Fine! Fine!" you shout, "But how does your dream connect? How does this discussion of God wanting to save the whole self apply to your dream Paul?" Answer: the dream is about a part of me and what I struggle to bring to Him. I'm far from perfect ( you already knew that) and I have a past hurt Jesus promises to heal. I'll talk about that hurt and that healing in the next blog and yes, I'll try to write it in the next few days. Patience and waiting indeed.
Hope you're not confused,
Paul
Now I understand that for many, if not for most people, a dream about a classroom experience is less than frightening. You might react by saying, "Who cares?!! You think that's bad?!! You ought to hear about my dream!" When I shared my classroom dream experience to a few people yesterday . . . yes, it's true . . . they laughed at me (perhaps with me). "Wow Paul! That's not a nightmare!" they somewhat gently expressed. Yet in some measure their reaction helps to illuminate my main point (which shall be coming) in these two blogs . . . uh, scratch that . . . these three blogs (My Dream Part 1, My Dream Part 2, and My Dream Part 3).
Let me back up and begin to explain: When a person truly comes to Jesus Christ he or she comes with all of himself. He doesn't leave anything behind, but fully surrenders his life. Of course, many believe that they don't need to come to Jesus this way. They believe they can come to Christ with only a limited part of themselves, as if all of us, if we so decide, can divide our lives. We so easily say to the Lord, "I'll bring the failure to you Jesus that is hurting me today, but that other failure . . . that other hurt . . . well, that's a bit too difficult! I'm not ready for that yet." Indeed, this thought is very understandable because emotionally and psychologically we do not think we are ready. However, notwithstanding our insecurities about the way God sees us - in spite of all I have said above - Jesus knows about it all, and He watches and waits until we give Him ourselves completely. Silently, quietly . . . [long pause] . . . the Lord waits.
Have we really come to Him? That is a grand theological question. That is the great personal question. How much of you does it take for you to be saved? Does Jesus save the mind, but not the heart? Does Jesus save your present emotional life, but not your past emotional life? Can the two emotional lives be divided? Thank God that He is a God of grace. Thank God that He saves you before you are perfect. Still, God has no intention of letting even the smallest part of you go its own way. He has no plan to let any of you be held in a painful abyss.
Here's the point I am attempting to make before I apply this discussion to my dream: God wants to save all of you, because He loves all of you. Hmm . . . you may want to slow down and think about that statement. God wants to save all of you . . . hmm . . . What could that possibly mean?
"Even that sin?" you ask. No, not that sin, because that sin is not really who you are. If you are in Jesus Christ, you are God's son or daughter, and God's sons and daughters are not characterized by sin. They are characterized by righteousness. Does not the Apostle John tell us about the Christian's relationship to sin in his first letter?
1 John 3:6
No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
[You may have questions about that verse, and I understand the reasons for them, but let's not worry about them now. Those questions are for another blog or in a response under "comments."]
"Fine! Fine!" you shout, "But how does your dream connect? How does this discussion of God wanting to save the whole self apply to your dream Paul?" Answer: the dream is about a part of me and what I struggle to bring to Him. I'm far from perfect ( you already knew that) and I have a past hurt Jesus promises to heal. I'll talk about that hurt and that healing in the next blog and yes, I'll try to write it in the next few days. Patience and waiting indeed.
Hope you're not confused,
Paul
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