A couple of years ago, I heard a lady teach about dreams. She shared her personal experiences as to how starting at a very young age, the Lord had used dreams as a way to encourage and guide her. She then encouraged us to pray daily that God would fill our minds and imagination with thoughts, images and impressions of Him. Each night before we go to sleep she encouraged us to invite God into our dreams, asking Him to reveal Himself to us in new ways, if he chooses. Now, this was a little ‘out there’ for me but I had heard enough personal testimonials from others to know that it does happen.
I was reminded of her dream teaching when our son N was lost in the largest mall in Europe, a terrible experience that still leaves me thanking God for his hand of mercy each time I am reminded of that day. It was through this experience that my eyes were opened to the intimate way that God reveals himself to children. They have yet to form layers of preconceived notions of who God is and have the opportunity to experience his love in a way that most adults have long since forgotten. They are still ‘outside of the box.’ If you haven’t read the story, click here to read Beautiful Paint. It is a far more encouraging post than this one. 
After the Beautiful Paint experience, I began to long for my children to have ears to hear God’s voice clearly in a childlike way, even into adulthood. I began to pray that they would not lose their childlike Faith but instead, it would be a springboard to an even deeper Faith and knowledge of their Creator. I then remembered the lady who spoke about dreams and the way God visited her in vivid dreams, even as a small child. I know this doesn’t happen to everyone, but I began to pray each night a simple prayer over each of my children. “Lord, I invite you into their dreams tonight. Leave your fingerprint on their hearts and teach them more of who you are while they sleep.” I had to change the prayer up a little when N got older and decided that having God’s fingerprint on his heart didn’t make any sense. :-) The theme has remained the same although there has never been a hint of this prayer bearing any fruit.
………..Until yesterday.
We have had a rough week as we have adjusted back to our normal routine after our cruise. We were definitely not smiling as we walked into church for choir. The kids had been disciplined more that day than they usually are in a week. I wanted to drop them off and make a run for it! In that frustrating moment, N said, “Mom, I dreamed about God last night.” That was about the only thing that could have piqued my interest at the moment. I asked him what happened and he said, “Well, there was God and there were lots of angels and they were going around everywhere in the world, rescuing people.” My eyes filled with the tears I had been holding back all day.
In the WOW meeting I attended just after N told me of his dream, Valerie compared raising children to building a cathedral. It could take over 100 years to build something of that magnitude and beauty. The first brick layers seldom saw the finished cathedral in all its grandeur. These are the years of repeatedly filling sippy cups, changing wet bed sheets, doing laundry and sometimes dealing out correction until I want to beat my head against the wall. This is the laying of the foundation. Unlike a cathedral brick layer, we will also have the privilege of enjoying the beauty later on.
So, this week, I was inspired by a dream. Inspired to keep praying bold prayers, disciplining, and doing the mundane with hope and joy.
January 22, 2010 at 3:47 pm |
thanks for sharing, that is really encouraging!