Ooftah. It was one of those nightmares that you just can’t wake up from.
That night, my really bad dream didn’t include falling off cliffs, nor were people chasing me with chainsaws. This nightmare seemed more “every day.”
In my nightmare that never seemed to end, I was at a conference in a very large convention center. I had gotten separated from my group, and I was frantically wandering hallways and stairwells to try and find someone I knew. My purse had been stolen along with my cell phone. I just could not get my bearings.
To add even stronger emotions to this toss-and-turn-not-sleeping-anxiety-filled dream, my dad who died 20 years ago was back on earth, at the conference, walking briskly around the hallways with his signature positive, up-beat mood, greeting everyone he saw with a Hello and a smile and fist pump in the air. But he didn’t know who anyone was. He didn’t know me. He had Alzheimer’s.
This was not a restful dream.
You know what this kind of dream is like, right?
It’s the one that never ends.
You wake up for a few moments, but it still seems real.
You try and go back to sleep, and your dream picks right back up.
I decided to just get out of bed, sit in my living room chair, find some quiet for my heart and mind, and pray for peace.
And what did I start praying? “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blest. Amen.” The Table Prayer.
Good grief.
When I’m out of sorts and can’t shake the cobwebs out of my head, I usually give myself a little pep talk. Come on, Gaye, it’s OK. Get up and get moving. It’s just a dream.
But then there are other times – like this one was for me – that I just need to chill. I mean, really chill.
I needed to find a safe place to land.
And then just sit there for a while.
I found my safe place in David’s words from Psalm 23: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”
This wasn’t the time to read a book to learn how to “fix” something.
My mind was jumbled, and my heart was rattled.
And my prayers were obviously off, right?
I needed to just sit in the quiet, knowing God was right there with me, while He helped me catch my breath. Slow my heart. Calm my mind.
As I’m getting to know God better – learning more about His character, His promises, and what it means to walk with Him – I’m finding it easier to just sit. Not “do.” Just sit and let Him meet me.
I am learning (again) that I don’t need to be afraid, even in the darkest times. He leads me. Pulls me away from harm. Comforts me.
Dear friend. Remember. God heals. Restores. Loves you.
He is your Shepherd. You have all that you need.
Are you looking for a safe place to land?
Give yourself permission to sit while you ask Him to meet you.
And rest.
And then … take a deep breath.
Get up refreshed, walking in His presence.
We can do this, friend.
Sit in His safety and then walk in His presence.
You, me, and our Shepherd.
“He provides me rest
in rich, green fields
beside streams of refreshing water.
He soothes my fears.”
Psalm 23:2 (The Voice)
“Come to me,
all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
