Ever have a terrible nightmare that sticks with you? After a very sleepless night last night, I fell asleep on the sofa this morning after feeding my cat. When I woke two hours later it was after a very dark dream about forgiving and not being forgiven. This dream resulted in two deaths and an injury to a child.
One of the deaths was mine. I was beheaded. So was another person though that person did not make an appearance in the dream. But I woke knowing the death had occurred. My confession of wrongdoing and asking for forgiveness ended in this tragedy. The person who executed the knife was a person who spoke the words of forgiveness and then did the deed.
I don’t watch horror movies and I don’t watch the news. Yet, I know what is happening. I know the turmoil and atrocities going on around the globe. I believe the dream was symbolic. Even through I had been beheaded, I was still alive in the dream and making plans to visit the injured child in the hospital.
I am reminded that by following Jesus and believing in my salvation, I can still do things that need to be forgiven. God will forgive me, but those I have hurt might not. The pain and regret might live with me. But God has made a plan for my eternal life.
Heavy stuff to think about. How do things get stuck in our brain that trigger such an outrageous dream/nightmare? I only know when I have such a dream (thankfully rarely) I can find a piece of truth and comfort within. God is good.
Lifting my cup of tea with a grateful smile for this day, this temporary life, and the promise of tomorrow.
Carol Ann Erhardt, Author 