A Shack or a Palace?

Most of the time I don't remember what I dream at night but there are a few recurring dreams that do stand out to me.

One of these dreams involves stairways, doors, and new discoveries. There are several versions of this dream that I dream in no particular order or any set frequency, but often enough that I've begun to realize while I'm dreaming that this is that cool dream again.

It goes something like this.

I'm working in my house one day, just normal work like cooking, or cleaning or laundry, and suddenly realize that there is a stairway . . .

. . . leading somewhere unknown . . . or . . .

. . . a door . . .

. . . mysterious . . .

. . . maybe down a hallway I didn't even know existed . . .

. . . and I wonder where it could possibly lead to . . .

. . . because I thought I lived in a humble, normal, not so exciting house. So I walk down the hall, or climb the stairs, and slowly, somewhat hesitantly but with a sense of expectation I open the mysterious to door to find that I have only been aware of a small fraction of my home. What I thought resembled this . . .

. . . is actually more like this!

And I am so amazed that I never realized how much beauty and potential and blessing I was surrounded with when I thought I lived in my little tiny house. I am so excited as my mind begins to spin with possibilities and plans as I walk from room to room, exploring all the new space and imagining the potential here. I'm always a little disappointed when I wake up and discover that it was all a dream.

As these dreams have continued I've begun to wonder if there is anything I can learn from them. If there was a meaning to these dreams, what could that meaning be? And this is what comes to mind.

Maybe my life is sometimes like the first house I thought I lived in. You know, very modest, certainly adequate but not particularly exciting. My needs are met, and life is good enough. And yet, in all reality, even though I am not aware of it, there is a life available to me far beyond anything I ever imagined. What if there are possibilities I've never even dreamed of that are simply waiting for me to open the door and walk through? What if life holds potential beyond my wildest imaginations? And I've come to believe that this is, indeed, the case.

So many times I hear myself saying "My life is good but it will be even better when . . . " or "I feel like I'm just about to see something wonderful happen!" or "It just feels like we are so close to a breakthrough." And while I know there are times when those statements are appropriate there are also time when the better is already here, the wonderful is happening now and the breakthrough has already been accomplished and I am not choosing to live it out.

2 Corinthians 1:20 says "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.

All of God's promises to the Christian are given to us with a resounding yes and we say amen as we walk out the life he has given us freely. And that life is not a life of drudgery, of just barely making it through the day, or of worry and fear. I do not need to perceive life like this.

This is life of joy and freedom and waking up each morning excited to continue the journey of discovery. I haven't finished exploring all this rooms in this castle He has given me . . . rooms filled with love, with joy, peace, the knowledge that he absolutely will take care of my every need and so often much more than just what I need but the desires of my heart. I get to explore ways to share His love with others because He has given me much of His love that it overflows.  Because He created me and everyone else to live abundantly. It is our choice whether we want to live in a shack, or step into our destiny.

I choose His abundant life.

Will you?