Country Chatter

I had a bad dream last night and I awoke at 6 a.m. this morning, unable to go back to sleep.

I dreamed that another lady (I don’t remember who she was, but I will refer to her as friend), and I were exploring in my car and my friend was driving. We were going across a series of steep, windy mountains and we were lost.  Totally lost! We had no idea where we were at. After discussing our situation we decided that we would keep going as the road had to come out somewhere.  We kept noticing that the road was getting more narrow and less traveled. It had been hours since we passed another vehicle. The houses were fewer, just small homes tucked along the ridges and there was very little sign of life. The few remaining businesses were deserted clapboard buildings of yester years. We began to note that we had not seen a gas station in a long time.

I kept hinting that we needed to turn around, that we were lost and we would soon be in trouble. My friend did not heed my hints.  Finally the road was no longer paved, just a roughed mountain trail. My friend kept pressing on. In my mind I was processing our situation; no cell phone service, low on gas, our husbands had no clue where we were at and I could not walk with my injured ankle. Walking really was not an option as we would have to walk for days to back-track. The gravity of the situation was weighing heavy.

We passed a deserted looking house and my friend started down a rough, rocky incline in the depths of the forest that only a 4-wheel drive could navigate.  I also knew that darkness was falling. There was no way to turn around and we were at a dead end.  My frustration exploded and I awoke.

Disturbed and unable to go back to sleep, I pondered the dream. I said, “Lord, is there a special meaning to this dream?”

For me the dream had an instant spiritual understanding. I will simply ask you a few questions to ponder.

• Are we being guided by a GPS or road map or just hoping  that somehow, somewhere we will come out and everything will be ok?
• Are we traveling along with no sense of direction, no landmarks, and no signs.
• Are we afraid to speak the truth before it is too late?
• Is our tank running on empty?
• Where do we receive our source of fuel (power)?
• Who is our navigator? Who is driving our car?
• Where do we place blame?
• Do we heed sound advice?
• Are we aware of the terrain and sense the direction the path is headed?
• Do we press stubbornly forward, blindly unheeding the impeding doom?
• Is there any hope of rescue?
• Have we lost our way?

I am reminded of a few verses.

•  Psalms 119:105 “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
• Proverbs 2:10-12a “When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you and understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil.”
• Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”