Nightmares with lessons

It seems like a lot of people don’t remember their dreams once they wake up.  I usually like that I remember my dreams but sometimes it’s not so great.  I wonder how many parents have dreamt terrible episodes of tragedies involving their children.  I think those are my worst dreams ever and I had another one last night.

Without going into all the detail, I dreamt that my son was waiting for me at a certain location.  While I was away, an environmental catastrophe occurred and I had no way of getting to him to help him or even make sure he was ok.  I didn’t care about myself or my own safety; I just wanted to get to him.  I was finally able to make my way to where he would have been waiting but I couldn’t find him anywhere.  Even if he was safe somewhere, I knew he’d be worried about me and I didn’t want him to put himself at risk to try to find me.  Would he stay put wherever he was??  I was in tears, calling out his name between sobs.  I saw friends and acquaintances huddled with their children, relieved that they were safe but unwilling to leave their own (understandably) to help me find my son.  Such a devastating feeling to not know if your child is ok or even where they are.

Of course I woke up before I found him.  It would have been nice for the dream to end with me finding him safe and secure.  But on the other hand, it’s a greater blessing to wake up and know that none of it was real.  My son is fine.  No tragedy actually took place.  BLESSED RELIEF!

Dreams like these don’t occur often (fortunately) but when they do, they have a tendency to weigh heavy on my mind for a long time.  Today I decided to take a different approach.  Instead of reliving the dream in my head over and over, I took the opportunity to thank God for this amazing son that I have the pleasure of raising him (even if it’s part-time).  I prayed for my son, that he will grow in wisdom, joy, and the assurance of his own personal relationship with God.  That he will become the young man that God wants him to be, and that I will never, ever take for granted the time that he is in my life.

If you have children,  love them and pray for them today.  Don't wait for tomorrow.