May 2 Dream
I was standing in line to get into heaven. Apparently, each person who entered had to be "processed" before being let in. So as I "come to" in this dream awareness, I was standing 3rd back in the line, observing what was going on:
Behind me was a long, single-file line that snaked around as far as the eye could see. Yes, we were standing among clouds. Cliche, I know, but don't shoot me - I'm just the dreamer.
In front of me were two people. The one directly in front of me was waiting to be processed, like I and the multitudes behind me were; the person in front of him was currently being interviewed by one of the two women who staffed this "department". The processing area consisted of a folding table; the filing system was a box of index cards which, I believe, contained the information on every person who was entering heaven. There was a single phone attached to a wall behind the folding table.
Despite the apparent inefficiency of the system, the women were pleasant enough and working quite diligently to get everyone processed. Occasionally one would pick up the phone and talk to God about the person being processed into heaven.
Though I feel no sense of hurriedness or impatience whatsoever, I was busy observing and analyzing what was going on around me. I find myself thinking “How could God’s procedures not be the most efficient of all? And what would God need to know or discuss with these women about each of us - doesn't He know it all already?”
As though reading my mind (I guess He does that!), He imparts into my thoughts, “It’s all about the process.” Though the phrase is simple, it comes with a complete understanding...that the point isn’t about being fast and efficient – it is about putting each of us through the process; and as we go through it, God watches our responses. In this particular scenario, He wanted to see if we responded with patience, peace, and kindness toward one another as we all waited together.
Thankfully, I was relieved to realize that I had been responding with great patience, being caught up in the moment. However, I had also been very observant and found myself thinking of ways they could streamline things. (Like God needs to learn anything from me. Hah!)
When I saw I was about to be next to be processed, I looked at the line behind me again and noticed my husband was standing about 6 or 7 people behind me. I thought, "I could help his process go better if he could observe mine, as I had been observing those ahead of me in order to prepare myself." So I called him forward. He was very calm and in the moment, too. Though he didn't seem to be in any particular hurry to get to the head of the line, when he saw me beckon to him, he came up to stand next to me. Only then did I realize I’d actually invited him to cut in front of several other people; and I felt really bad when I realized it.
The dream scene switches suddenly here, but interestingly, it reiterates the same theme.
I am already in heaven, but my husband isn't yet, so I am trying to call him from my cell phone to let him know what to expect. But the connection is terrible, with much interference, and always at the most inopportune times! It was as though every time I got to a juicy piece of information I thought he'd need to know, we'd get nothing but static. (Apparently, the Verizon herd can only follow a person so far!)
Then I suddenly "got it"...God didn’t WANT me prepping my husband for heaven. He wanted my husband to experience the passage on his own, to go through his OWN process.
Again, it was all about the importance of the process - that it's not about knowing what to expect before you get there, and not about speed or efficiency in getting there, either. It's about each person experiencing his or her own process in life, and probably in the afterlife, as well. We can't do it for each other. It's uniquely personal, between us and God alone.
This dream reminded me of Luke 16:
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,[c] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'
I think that story pretty much summed up my dream – God doesn’t want us to come back and tell each other the scoop…we must go through the process and experience things in our own right - it's how we learn and grow and develop perseverance, faith, character, and all that good stuff.
I was standing in line to get into heaven. Apparently, each person who entered had to be "processed" before being let in. So as I "come to" in this dream awareness, I was standing 3rd back in the line, observing what was going on:
Behind me was a long, single-file line that snaked around as far as the eye could see. Yes, we were standing among clouds. Cliche, I know, but don't shoot me - I'm just the dreamer.
In front of me were two people. The one directly in front of me was waiting to be processed, like I and the multitudes behind me were; the person in front of him was currently being interviewed by one of the two women who staffed this "department". The processing area consisted of a folding table; the filing system was a box of index cards which, I believe, contained the information on every person who was entering heaven. There was a single phone attached to a wall behind the folding table.
Despite the apparent inefficiency of the system, the women were pleasant enough and working quite diligently to get everyone processed. Occasionally one would pick up the phone and talk to God about the person being processed into heaven.
Though I feel no sense of hurriedness or impatience whatsoever, I was busy observing and analyzing what was going on around me. I find myself thinking “How could God’s procedures not be the most efficient of all? And what would God need to know or discuss with these women about each of us - doesn't He know it all already?”
As though reading my mind (I guess He does that!), He imparts into my thoughts, “It’s all about the process.” Though the phrase is simple, it comes with a complete understanding...that the point isn’t about being fast and efficient – it is about putting each of us through the process; and as we go through it, God watches our responses. In this particular scenario, He wanted to see if we responded with patience, peace, and kindness toward one another as we all waited together.
Thankfully, I was relieved to realize that I had been responding with great patience, being caught up in the moment. However, I had also been very observant and found myself thinking of ways they could streamline things. (Like God needs to learn anything from me. Hah!)
When I saw I was about to be next to be processed, I looked at the line behind me again and noticed my husband was standing about 6 or 7 people behind me. I thought, "I could help his process go better if he could observe mine, as I had been observing those ahead of me in order to prepare myself." So I called him forward. He was very calm and in the moment, too. Though he didn't seem to be in any particular hurry to get to the head of the line, when he saw me beckon to him, he came up to stand next to me. Only then did I realize I’d actually invited him to cut in front of several other people; and I felt really bad when I realized it.
The dream scene switches suddenly here, but interestingly, it reiterates the same theme.
I am already in heaven, but my husband isn't yet, so I am trying to call him from my cell phone to let him know what to expect. But the connection is terrible, with much interference, and always at the most inopportune times! It was as though every time I got to a juicy piece of information I thought he'd need to know, we'd get nothing but static. (Apparently, the Verizon herd can only follow a person so far!)
Then I suddenly "got it"...God didn’t WANT me prepping my husband for heaven. He wanted my husband to experience the passage on his own, to go through his OWN process.
Again, it was all about the importance of the process - that it's not about knowing what to expect before you get there, and not about speed or efficiency in getting there, either. It's about each person experiencing his or her own process in life, and probably in the afterlife, as well. We can't do it for each other. It's uniquely personal, between us and God alone.
This dream reminded me of Luke 16:
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,[c] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'
I think that story pretty much summed up my dream – God doesn’t want us to come back and tell each other the scoop…we must go through the process and experience things in our own right - it's how we learn and grow and develop perseverance, faith, character, and all that good stuff.
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