It Started with a Dream

There has been so much that has happened this year, already. Maybe not in a way that is noticeable to the naked eye, but so much that I believe God is working out in places I can't see... yet.

It all started with a dream.

For many years now, I have taken the advice of my pastor, and have taken the week between Christmas and the new year to see what God is saying regarding the year to come. This year, right around Christmas, I had a dream. I don't dream often, and if I do, I rarely remember the details of the dream.

I couldn't shake this dream.

The more I prayed about it, the more I felt like God was speaking through it.

I was on a trip, away from my house. When I returned, I walked inside and there was a person from work in my house. This person is someone who isn't saved, but has become a good friend to me at work and has been extremely kind and generous towards me. When I walked inside, this person said, "Hi Andrea. I want to show you what I've done for you while you were gone."

This person took me through my house to the basement. If you've ever been to my house, you know the basement is scary. It's old, tile block is leaky. The ceilings are very short with cobwebs and pipes everywhere. Part of the basement is a crawl space underneath my porch, and it's where the coal was stored to heat the house, and where piles of coal still sit, untouched now for many, many years. The folks who lived in the house before me had graffitied the walls with ghoulish skulls, etc.

All of this was gone. It was breathtaking. The old, tile block had been replaced, and the basement was finished with drywall and beautiful paint. The ceilings were many feet taller and finished as well. Gone was the coal and the graffiti. In it's place were guest rooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, and living room.

This person then led me outside through the basement door. My backyard had been professionally landscaped. There were lit paths and pools of water. Well manicured gardens and cement patios replaced my gravel parking pit.

I walked around the front of my house and realized that the siding had been cleaned and the shutters and front door painted. Everything was beautiful. I walked back inside the main level, and for the first time realized that everything was redone. I had new furniture - new appliances - new flooring. It was immaculate and must have cost more than building a brand new house would have.

Then I woke up.

As I began to pray about this dream, I felt like the Lord was saying that this would be a year of unexpected blessing. I was so excited - what a great year ahead!

However, then I saw in my mind's eye two verses: Psalm 16:5 and Luke 4:2.

I immediately pulled my Bible out and began to read. The verse in Psalms stated the the Lord is our inheritance and our blessing and the Luke scripture was the story of Jesus fasting for 40 days.

I immediately felt like the Lord was saying that He is my unexpected blessing. Discovering new things about Him this year would be like an inheritance - a gift that would change my life.

But then I felt a word of caution. Sometimes unexpected blessings begin as unexpected burdens. My first thought was my niece and my nephew. When I found out that my brother was going to have a baby outside of marriage, I only thought of the burden for my family. What I know now is that they have been the best, most unexpected blessings in my entire life. And that's what I felt like the Lord was saying to me. There were will be things that happen this year that begin as a burden but turn in to the most incredible blessing. My job is to continue to seek after Him and to keep my heart and attitude in check so that I won't become bitter or discouraged.

Which led me to the second verse - Luke 4:2. I have wanted to do a 40 day fast for many years, but have always been afraid. I feel like I MUST do it this year. So I am. Starting tomorrow - Ash Wednesday.

I can already tell you that there have been situations this year that have led me back to a place of fear and anxiety. Difficult circumstances that have made me want to quit and walk away from everything. My one defense has been Jesus. I began the year with a resolution to read the Bible in a year using an app on my i-Pad. It has been my sure-footing—the only thing that has sustained me when I felt like I couldn't depend on anything else. This is scripture I have read time and time again, but it has come alive. Moments in Mark where Jesus, in His compassion, heals and loves and forgives. The faithfulness of God through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And the wisdom of Proverbs.

This morning, tears streamed down my face as I read about the faith of the men who lowered their friend through the ceiling so that he could be healed by Jesus.

When I am distressed, I remember the scripture, but I also remember my dream and the promise from God. I remember that often unexpected blessings start off as unexpected burdens. It brings me hope and keeps me walking forward - running after the prize that awaits me.