My Dream

I had this dream last night. I've had dreams like it before... the kind where you wake up startled, trying desperately to remember every detail. The kind where you know it has some kind of significance. And I really think this dream did.

It started out with people everywhere, all carrying their luggage. Only it wasn't just any luggage. For me, it was all I had in the world. My money, my clothes, the things I cherished the most. I did recognize one person, but most of the crowd was unfamiliar to me. I noticed quickly that there were kind people who took the time to stop and talk with me. There were also people who seemed to be in a big hurry. There were short with me, and I could tell that they didn't have time to help or answer my questions. I was placed in a group and given a number. We had tasks to accomplish, and each step was somehow getting us closer to a goal. Nobody knew what the end result would be, but we were definitely in some kind of race.

Being a competitive person, I remember caring a lot about how far I was in the race. We were given a number partway through to tell us how close we were to the end. I remember being number six and feeling on top of the world. Like I was accomplishing this huge feat.

All of a sudden, my world as I knew it came crashing down. Just as I seemed to be winning the race, I got on the wrong elevator and lost my team. Suddenly, the team I ended up with was no longer winning. I remember feeling devastated, desperate to find my team. Then I looked down and realized that all of my worldly treasures were gone. My purse, money, those items that were special to me... everything I had. I completely panicked and ran from person to person, asking if they knew where my luggage was. Nobody seemed to care or wanted to help. They were all so focused on the race that they didn't have the time.

Defeated and withdrawn, I continued the race by myself. Finally, I entered this big room filled with chairs. I had this feeling that I had made it to the final step of the race. Now we all had to wait. While I was waiting, someone really kind came to comfort me. They knew all about this race and told me not to worry, but to persevere. That my things were taken from me for a reason. Then the wait was over and it was my time to go. I walked into this little room and somebody showed me all of the treasures I had attained. My suitcase was there, but it seemed insignificant now. The treasures there were far greater than my little suitcase. I was filled with a sense of beauty and happiness that I had never felt before. I had finished the race.

The person in the room with me pointed to the window. Outside the window, I saw elevators everywhere. All of them were dropping, but some stopped at a sudden halt. Some never stopped, they just continued to drop endlessly downward. In front of the window, there was a girl and someone was asking her questions. She was talking about her life and the sinful acts she had committed. The important part though, the only thing that seemed to matter, was if she felt repentant for how she was living. Seeming to laugh in the face of the interviewer, you could clearly tell that she did not. The person in my room pointed toward the elevator that this girl was assigned to. I watched somberly as it dropped endlessly.

I woke up with my heart pounding. The memories from the dream came rushing back to me and I couldn't help but feel that there was great meaning in this dream. That I was in a race. That it didn't matter if I came in first place. That I needed to slow down and help other people, instead of worrying how far I was getting. That my worldly possessions would be taken away, so I shouldn't be clutching onto them so tightly. That this race will have an end and I will have questions to answer. Questions about my life, but more importantly, about having faith in Jesus and being repentant of the things I have done wrong. And at the end, there will be two very different destinations... I just don't know if elevators will take us there.

I had a new rejuvenating feeling to continue the race.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.