I’ve been having some crazy dreams, lately. Dreams involving bizarre, random scenarios with my family, my friends, and even TV personalities, like the Bravermans from Parenthood.
(Did you know that Julia and Hank are now an item?)
Last night’s episode found me at a camp-like conference center, located in an area with tall, lodgepole pines. It was really beautiful, and while I was with friends, they weren’t any friends I know in real life. One of these friends and I were making our way from our hotel-like accommodations to the main conference center, taking what appeared to be an obvious trail. We walked along, enjoying the beautiful scenery, and chatting about the surprise plot twist of Julia and Hank.
(Yes, really. This is the second time I’ve dreamed about this. Clearly, I’m entirely too attached to this fictional family. Come back, Bravermans! COME BACK!)
There were big rocks embedded into the path to form a natural stairway, so we climbed them together, full expecting to find the conference center at the top. A little winded, we pushed off the last step to find a small, natural landing with a cedar-fenced overlook. Confused, we both stood there, looking out over the treetops, until we spotted the conference center below. It didn’t look that far away, and we couldn’t figure out how we’d missed the main walkway to get there.
“Come on,” I said to my friend, turning to go back down the stairs.
But she just stood there, looking at the conference center in the distance.
“Look,” she responded. “Look at all the people down there. They all knew just where to go.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’ll figure it out. We just took a wrong turn somewhere.”
“No, I’m just going to stay here. I’ll never figure it out, and besides, the view is really pretty and I can see the building. It’s enough.”
It’s enough?
I stood there, mouth agape, incredulous at what she was saying. Why would she come to the conference and not go to the conference center? One wrong turn and she was giving up?
Seriously, it was RIGHT THERE.
Then I woke up, unsettled, and I’ve remained there all morning.
Why, you ask?
Well, because I realized that I was the friend. The whole dream was me, talking to myself.
You can’t know how many times I’ve stood at the precipice of a dream, where I could see the dream clearly for the taking. The path to it might be a little obscured, but I could see the dream itself, and all the other people who’d achieved it, pushing past their fear to find out how to get there. I’ve tried to talk myself into joining them, but more times than I can count, I’ve said…
“No. I’ll never figure it out, and besides, the view is really pretty. It’s enough.”
And yet the dream still burns inside me.
What’s burning inside you, that finds you sitting at the precipice, trying to convince yourself that the view is enough?
First, let’s realize this, you and I:
Jesus is the only thing that’s enough.
Once we figure that out, we realize that the dreams placed in our hearts – the ones that continue to smolder and burn – were placed there by Holy Hands to be realized and lifted back to Him with grateful ones. He’s ready to bring us down from that overlook and show us the way.
Let’s each take the Hand outstretched to us, and all go down the steps together to figure it out, because, seriously? That dream?
It’s RIGHT THERE.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires. ~ Psalm 37:4 NLT