Monday, July 14, 2008

I'm Hooked!

I'm basically a shy person who absolutely loves people. Sometimes that works against me--like this weekend. After completing an intensive class on biblically interpreting dreams--which is usually a process that I do in private at my computer--the class was sent out in teams to the mall and different Starbucks locations to ask people if we could practice interpreting their dreams. It wasn't the interpreting that scared me--it was approaching random strangers--it was the potential rejection. The introvert inside of me longed to escape, but the desire to find if this could really reach people with God's love pulled harder.

There waiting on a mall bench was a Hispanic grandmother and her daughter. As my team approached them, the daughter answered her cell phone. That made grandma our target. We told her we had just completed a class in dream interpretation and asked her if we could practice interpreting one of her dreams. "After a certain age, I stopped dreaming," she quipped. After we urged her a bit further, she admitted that she had had a recurring dream for a while after her husband's death from a stroke. The dream in a nutshell was her deceased husband standing healthy and smiling beside a car with the door open as though he was waiting for her to get in.

"I think I know what that means." I said. She looked at me with interest. "This message is from God to show you that your husband is well in the place where he has gone before you. The invitation is open for you to join him in that place when it's the right time. But since you're still here, that means you still have things that God wants to finish in your life. That includes some of those dreams you've let go of. Don't be afraid to keeping dreaming!"

The grandma's eyes were filled with tears. So were ours. "Thank you so much, girls." She said. "Thank YOU!" we all chimed in. She had no idea how much I was grateful for her warm response. Somehow in the process of looking for people I could reel in for a free dream interpretation, I was the one who got hooked! Not one person during the whole day turned us down. Some people admitted they didn't remember any dreams, but for them we gave them a free encouraging word. It was amazing how people just melted when they were given a kind word that pointed them toward their destiny.

Henry Ward Beecher said that you'll never know how accessible men are until you try to reach them. You just have to find the right door. In today's society it seems that dream interpretation is one of those doors. It's made this shy wallflower willing to comb the malls and coffee shops. I'm a believer!

8 comments:

Dimanches said...

loved it! thank you, it was very encouraging, and I enjoy hearing about what God is doing in your life!

rachel said...

Welcome to the blogging world, Julie! I look forward to learning more about you this way.

Hugs!!

http://toadswildfamily.blogspot.com

Sonja said...

cool how God works, huh?
Welcome to the blogging world! You're gonna do awesome.
hugs,
Sonja
www.shortsited.com/blog

Sarah Nadine said...

Hello Julie, Thank you for your encouraging post! I, too, can be kind of shy to approach people so this was a good one for me to read. Thanks for sharing!

Lisa said...

My wonderful sister who I adore!

I love it! The blogging world will be a better place because of you, and in the amazing way God uses you and your ministry!
Julie, your life has always been an encouragement to me....I am so blessed by you! I have learned so much through this ministry....wow!
God is so good!

Lisa

bill jernigan said...

MOM AND DAD LOVE YOU AND PRAY FOR YOUR MINISTRY WILL BE A TREMENDOUS BLESSING.

Unknown said...

This is great. And timely too.
Our 8 year old is studying Joseph interpreting dreams in his Rod & Staff reader this week.

Thanks, I await more.
Barb

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