As school ended this past year our family started some new routines.  One thing is, as we lay down each night we pray specifically for dreams and are expecting God to give us things as we sleep.  Then, when we wake up in the morning, the first thing we do is a family devotion where we talk about our dreams, who had them and what they were.  As we share, we seek God as a family for interpretations.  Recently, as part of this process, I had a dream that impacted me greatly.

I was standing in the open door of an old church near where I was born. When first walking in you would see the wall on the left that had a room behind it which could only be accessed by going over the wall. People I didn’t know were coming from that room into the church by climbing over the wall. I turned around where i saw my dad, my two brothers, my sister, and a few other kids I didn’t know. I walked over right when my dad said “Let’s play a game!” Then, they started the game immediately after without explaining the rules. However, everyone but me knew the rules. When it came to my turn, I asked “Wait, what are the rules again?” My dad then said “Let’s play a different game!” We started this game but, again, he didn’t announce the rules and when it became my turn I once again asked what the rules were. Then my dad said “Josiah, if you can’t pay attention, then you shouldn’t play at all.” I started crying. I ran between two cars in the parking lot, squatted, then hid behind what seemed to be an invisible cloak. It was wrapped like a dome over and around me. It hurt me so much I woke up crying!

Later that morning, I shared the story with my dad.  As I finished the story he said to me, “Jo, do you worry you are not a good enough Christian?” Immediately my heart said yes, and I began to cry. That was exactly it!  Then he began to interpret the dream.  He said that the people coming into the church were the people our family has been reaching and bringing into the kingdom. The people I was playing the game with outside were the people who were now part of the church and were growing with God as they were being discipled.

After interpreting the dream my dad said, “Josiah, the reason no one told you the rules is, there are no rules with Jesus!  Jesus doesn’t want you to know the rules for a game.  He wants you to know him, love him, and then you will automatically understand how to play the game.”  I was very thankful that God revealed my hearts condition to me.  I am excited about what God is doing in my family and I look forward to him continuing to teach me how to love him more.