Dreamweaverrrr...

"Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow you

Whom you love, I'll love
How you serve, I'll serve
If this life I lose
I will follow you."

So last night I had a dream. It was one of those dreams that is so vivid you think you should be able to remember even the smells and sounds from it. When I woke up, my first thought was, "That was SUCH an awesome dream." But later that morning, as my drowsiness lifted and my mind became clearer, I walked back through the dream and started thinking that maybe it wasn't such a great dream after all.

Here's how it went:

I was standing in a line. There were all kinds of people standing around, some anxious, some excited, everyone chattering animatedly. Tiffany was with me and my level of excitement was so high I thought I would burst. We were waiting in line to enter this small alcove in the wall where we would squat down and prepare for something similar to an anvil to fall on us and essentially kill us. It was the rapture with a twist. God was calling us home and this was his avenue of getting us there. In the dream, I was breathless with anticipation. I didn't care that I was about to die. That a ton of weight would crush me to death. I was looking forward to being with Jesus. When it came my turn, the dream changed from first person to third person - I was on the outside looking in, watching my own death. The "anvil" struck and almost immediately I was transported to an empty room where everyone I've ever loved was there waiting. I'm talking family members, those I am close with and those that I haven't been able to see in years; friends from elementary school, middle school, high school, and college; young life friends; European friends - everyone was there that I've always wished could be in one place. But though I was excited and surprised to see them, my overwhelming emotion was one of disappointment. Where was God? I was desperate to find Him. All the sudden the room was surrounded by doors. I went through one into another room with even more doors. The dream continued like this - me desperate to find the right door and failing in every attempt. And then I woke up.

The dream was so real and so vivid that I knew there must be a reason I had this dream.

As I prayed about it and thought about it, this is the conclusion I came to:

God is reminding me that in this life and the next, He is the most important thing. And apart from Him, nothing is right. I tend to get caught up in the blessings of life - my wonderful husband, my incredible family, my new and blossoming friendships - and I think that my joy and contentment come from those blessings. But God is so gracious and patient to remind me that any joy or contentment I have comes from Him alone. The blessings can bring happiness and inspire in me an attitude of thankfulness, but it is all to give the Father glory. He is all that matters.

So to my family, my friends, my husband (who I don't even think reads this ;) and anyone else in my sphere of loving influence - I love you dearly. But if I had to choose between you and the God who created me, I would choose Him every time. And my prayer is that you would do the same.

I love the song that I quoted in the beginning of this post. We sang it this morning in church and I battled tears the whole time. Because it is a hard promise to make, but because it is one that I have made and will continue to make everyday of my life on this earth. All for the God who sustains me and loves me and has a good and perfect plan for my life.

"If this life I lose, I will follow You."