However, one dream repeats itself every few months,
with variations, and it bothers me because it does not fit with who I am when I
am awake. I had this dream last night and woke up asking God to speak to me
about it. How do I deal with what seems to be out of my control? The dream isn’t
overtly sinful, but my bad attitude in the dream makes me feel as if I am doing
something wrong. These verses from today’s devotional reading speak to my heart.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:1–4)
The answer to every problem, every question about spiritual
life and even the meaning of troubling dreams is always Jesus. I can see that
part of my dream is about my deepest desire to know Him better. That is a good
thing. I can also see that my bad attitude in the dream is to be laid aside. Instead
of dwelling on it, I’m to get back into the race with my eyes on the finish
line — on Jesus who is the Perfecter of my faith. He faced far worse than I will
ever need to endure, and set the example by keeping His focus on the joy of
victory, not on the frustration of His struggle against sin.
Phillips Brooks writes this: “Think… of anything that
you are doing that is wrong, of any habit of your life, of your
self-indulgence, or of that great, pervasive habit of your life which makes you
a creature of the present instead of the eternities, a creature of the material
earth instead of the glorious skies. Ask yourself of any habit that belongs to
your own personal life, and bring it face to face with Jesus Christ.”
He is right. No matter what is bugging me, dreams or
otherwise, some glad morning I will wake to face my Savior and everything in
this life will fade to nothing. For the joy set before me, I press on!
Jesus, do I confess bad dreams? Or am I not
responsible for them because my awake mind cannot make them happen nor change
their content? I can confess that some of the attitudes in my dreams may be
lurking in me while I am awake. I can also confess a good thing, that I am
eager to see Your face. Until I do, draw me near and keep my eyes focused on You.
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