It is nearly 2:30 AM and I am sitting at my laptop in my unheated dowstairs to tell you about a dream I just had that is keeping me awake. I believe that God has a message in it for us all. It's been a long time since I have had such a dream that I have felt so strongly is from Him.
I don't really watch the news that much anymore. I'm not sure why. I don't read papers. We can't afford to get them. But apparently God wants me to remember that our country is at war.
Here's the dream:
Ken, my husband, my two children Nick and Olivia and I were walking towards our car which was parked on a deserted dusty road. My son, Nick, was about 14 and my daughter was around 12. Nick ran ahead to get into the car, but when he got to the car a very strange thing met him there. Blocking his way was a baby camel with a pair of army boots in it's mouth. My husband immediately assessed the situation and ran to him. He ripped the army boots out of the baby camel's mouth and then swung them and struck the camel with the boots. The camel broke out into a very loud and terrible wail. It's mouth open, it looked accusingly at us and sobbed, sounding very much like a crying adolescent. It trotted away, glaring at us as it went and it's cries faded as it rounded the corner of the road.
I cannot remember why, but my husband and I found ourselves walking through this all American neighborhood. The kind of neighborhood I grew up in in the 50's and 60's. Middle class homes, Cape cods and ranches neatly side by side in a quaint suburban setting. No one was on the streets. I could hear the sound of our shoes echoing against the pavement and everything seemed very eerie. As we walked through this community something struck me. I could see the people who lived in the homes. And although the neighborhood was quite American, the people were all Middle Eastern. It was very strange to see them in this setting, interacting with one another. Eating dinner, watching TV, playing games, talking. Not one "American" looking individual. And then, as we passed one of the streets, there it was, trotting away from us, as if taking inventory of it's homes; the baby camel.
We walked faster, seeing our car in the distance, a feeling of terror rising in us.
When we got to the car, we thought Nick was in it, but he wasn't. We didn't know where Olivia had gone. When we looked towards the street we had just walked down, our son was coming towards us, looking frightened. He walked faster and right before he got to us he said, "Is it really you?"
I chuckled and made a terrible mistake by saying jokingly, "No, it's a baby camel."
His eyes got big and he began to back away. I told him I was kidding, but he was terrified. He took a few steps back and then a row of people from the nighborhood appeared blocking him from us and then another row blocking him from running the other way. We then saw that Olivia was blocked from coming to us also.
They all just stood there looking at us. A very bizarre sight in that middle class American neighborhood. Some dressed in traditonal middle eastern garb. Others dressed like any other person who lives in our country. There were people of all ages. Moms and Dads, Grandmas and Grandpas, Brothers and Sisters, children of all ages; teens, pre-teens, elementary age, toddlers and babies. All just standing there. Looking at us accusingly. Somehow, that one action, hitting that baby camel with those boots had hurt them deeply and I saw it in each of their eyes.
They were not going to let us have our children back.
I woke up.
When I did, I was very disturbed by the dream and I have not been able to sleep since. That was over an hour and half ago and I have a 9 hour day tomorrow at work. But I could NOT sleep.
The message in the dream was haunting me as I lay in my bed, blinded by the full moon outside.
That baby camel. Army boots. A middle class post WW2 American neighborhood filled with people from the very place our country's children are fighting and losing their lives. And again, the sound of the baby camel's cries as it trotted through the neighborhood announcing it's pain for all to hear.
I said that I felt God wanted me to remember that our country is at war, but more, to remember that our country's children are spilling their blood in a foreign land that is filled with people like you and me. Moms and Dads, Grandmas and Grandpas, children of all ages....babies: they are all casualties of this war.
My heart aches as it all becomes so clear. I found myself wanting to fall at Jesus's feet and cling to Him crying out to save us all from this terrible war.
I look at myself in sorrow. I have been so consumed with what's happening in our country right now: the economy, unemployment, companies going belly-up, banks foreclosing on people's homes....so much pain and fear. And then this dream reminds me of what's happening overseas to our children. And it's not just our country that is hurting.
It's our world.
We have gone into a new year. Looking at a "man" that we have placed so much hope in. And yet, he is only a man. And it's so unfair to place so much "hope" in a human being. I feel strongly that the only hope....the only salvation....is in Someone much bigger.
Even if you don't call yourself a "Christian", I'm asking you to join me in praying. Only God is big enough to make things right. To bring our children home.
There is a scripture that comes to mind:
2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
I'm not accusing anyone of sin. I'm just saying we need to pray and God will heal our land. It wouldn't surprise me, if while I was praying God showed me some sin I need to turn away from, but I believe that that is God's responsiblity to show me my sin.
It's my responsiblity to pray.
Our land needs healed. Not just our land....as in our country. But our whole world needs healed. And our children need a safe place to live.
Will you pray with me?
Contento Reunion 2009
14 years ago
