“Dreams are illustrations…from the book your soul is writing about you.” – Marsha Norman
Last night I had multiple bad dreams. I know they say that they only last seconds, but to me it felt like an all night process. Some were about me personally, but most were about people I love and care for. I’m not sure if I cried out loud in my sleep, but every dream had me in tears. Heart-wrenching, gut-twisting tears.
Needless to say, I was really happy to wake up this morning.
Dreams reflect our subconscious and conscious thoughts. Clearly, I have had a lot people on my heart and mind lately. It’s what comes out when we are unaware. It’s a natural outflow of what is going on inside us.
It’s a lot like what Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 – For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Where we focus our time, our attention and our devotion will show up in who we are. It will be seen in how we live life, how we treat others and our integrity. Not because we are trying so hard, but because, like our dreams, it will be a natural outflow of what consumes us, what we are passionate about.
Think of music. There are many talented musicians and vocalists out there. But the ones that move us, that grab our hearts, are the ones where we can tell that the music actually is a part of them. That the words and the notes come from their very souls and experiences. Their talent impresses us, but their heartfelt passion draws us in.
I don’t want to impress others with what I do. I don’t want anything I do to be born out of manipulation or being contrived or trying too hard. (Jesus talks about this earlier in Matthew 6). I just want to be so consumed with my love for Jesus that anything that spills out of me has HIS name on it, not mine. I want the natural outflow of my life to be a reflection of what has taken hold of me, heart and soul.
May our lives be the dreams that we live out loud…
Luke 6:45 – A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
John 15:5 – I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit…
Matthew 6:21 – For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
