It Was Just A Dream...?

A week or so ago I had a dream. Not a Martin Luther King “I had a dream” dream, but I had a dream. This dream scared the living daylights out of me, as much as it did encourage me. It was a dream of fear, anxiety, and confusion, but also a dream of a sobering reality. As I describe this dream and tell you what I got from it, to some it might be an eye-roller (whatever), and to others it might (I hope) be a catalyst in your walk through your faith in Christ. The whole dream seemed to have lasted about 15 seconds, it was not long at all. I could explain it in one sentence, but it could also write a thousand words. So here's what went down - the dream that shook my 27-year-old ideal reality:

The day leading up to the dream was like any normal day for me. I was working a night shift this day. Sometimes, if I come home really late, I will lie down on my couch and watch a bit of TV until I get tired before going to bed, so that I won't wake up my wife. Anyways, there was nothing "un-ordinary" about this day. To be honest and fully transparent, the only thing that was off about me was the fact that I wasn't as close to God in the days/weeks leading up to this night. Let's be honest, life isn't easy! Apart from our walk with God, we have this thing called “life” that dictates how we feel and go about our days. Sometimes you are really close and in tune with the Holy Spirit and some days apathy can set in for many reasons.

These reasons were mostly my fault, I was just stuck in a routine of work, making music, and other things that I kept my self busy with. I didn't make much time for true one-on-one time with God... and that definitely was being reflected in my day to day life. This wasn't something I was oblivious about, I knew what I had to do and what it takes to deny yourself to follow Christ. But like I said, I am being honest and I am just as normal as the average Christian human being – I just didn't put the effort. Enough said. Anyways, during this night as I grew more tired, I turned off the TV and passed out on the couch. I can recall having a few dreams that night, but I couldn't tell you what they were about. But there was this one dream from that night that I do remember. It was the most vividly sobering dream I've had in a very, very long time. I don't even know how to begin describing what I saw or felt. It felt so real, as if it were not a dream at all, it has no introduction and no storyline to it.    It was just a flash of a reality that will one day happen to everyone. WHAT I SAW. In this dream I guess I had died. I didn't see, or feel death, it literally just felt as if I went to sleep and I slipped away. Boom. The first glimpse began. It was dark like a night with a red sky. I was all alone in front of a gate, and behind that gate it was pure bright light. I knew exactly where I was. Heaven was before me. When I saw this all I remember thinking was, "I am about to be before GOD! Is my time on earth really over? I wasn't expecting this!" The fear of realizing that my earthly life was over had overwhelmed my body and thoughts.

I wasn't fearful that Christ wouldn't let me in, I just had a sense of fear that it was a lot sooner than I ever thought it would be. I'm 27 years old! This wasn't my plan! I remember thinking about all the things I worry about and all the things I held importance to in my life.

I remember thinking at that moment they all meant nothing. I thought about my wife and how I didn't want to leave her all alone. But the reality was in that moment I stood alone before God with nothing in my hands- No friends, no family, no one at all other than myself. There was no turning back, there were no second chances. This was it! I am before Christ! Not a single thing I cared about on earth was with me, the only thing I had was Christ's mercy for my sin. After this moment, I woke up. When I woke up and saw my TV, I took a huge gasp of air and realized that it was just a dream. I was frightened! I was happy to still be alive, but I knew that this will one day be my reality. At this moment, my mind was racing with thoughts, but it all summed up to one thing: Tomorrow is promised to no one, nothing in this world will matter when it's your time. It will just be you and God. These thoughts brought me to my heavily highlighted verses found in Matthew 6: 19-33 and Matthew 7:13-23; Do not store up treasures on earth! Do not worry! Seek the kingdom of God first! Enter through the narrow gate! I never knew you! These verses flooded my thoughts.

Christ could call any of us home at any instant.

What will happen when we stand before Him?

Of course we are not perfect, and maybe some of us will never hit the target 100%. But these verses are undeniably true, and this dream was a wake up call.

I wonder if it is the same for you?

I WONDER... I wonder sometimes about my family, my friends, my church, and everyone else who calls themselves a christian. I wonder just how many of us are actually living for God? Am I living for God? I wonder that also. But I've said it before and I will continue to say it until things change, the life most of us [as a whole] are living today is not the life that Christ is looking for.

We live in a culture that is self consumed. We are too busy for God to be our everything! There will come a time when you, yourself  will experience something similar to my dream – but it won't just be a dream, it'll be for real. And I tell you at that moment, nothing in this world is going to matter one bit. The only thing, and I stress this greatly, the ONLY thing that will matter is this: Do you have Jesus? That moment you appear before God, whatever it looks like, can be the most glorious day for you, or perhaps the most terrifying moment of your existence. The moment you realize that you have Christ and He is in you, granting you eternal life in heaven... or the moment you realize that you have lived your whole life without Christ, and you will be eternally separated in hell with no second chances.

IT WASN'T JUST A DREAM. My dream wasn't just a dream. It's a foreshadow of what's to come and a warning to be spiritually prepared for that moment. It's a future tale that will become truth for every single living person on this earth. A day that I'd bittersweetly would look forward to. This dream shook my plans. This dream re-focused my priorities. Yeah, life is great, but let's not forget that one day we will be accountable for everything we do here on earth. With that said, I'll leave you with one of my favourite chapters in Ecclesiastes 12. Ecclesiastes 12: 1-8 Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honour him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”2 Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. 3 Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly. 4 Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint. 5 Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral. 6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. 7 For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. 8 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”