Discipline

When I write these posts, I try to use a picture that would depict what I’m writing about. I want to find really good pictures to convey, as best as possible, what I was feeling during my experience with the Lord. However, this experience was so real that when I looked for pictures of spiders my blood pressure rose! I could feel myself getting hot and sweaty. I thought, nope! I’ll have to use a picture of something else this time! Here’s what happened:

In the middle of the night one January, I woke up and felt the Lord was asking me to pray. However, it was a cold night outside. The bedroom air felt cold, and my covers felt warm and soft. I rolled over and closed my eyes. I was not ready to get up yet.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I dreamt I was standing in a well-lit room with my son. In the corner we saw this HUGE spider! He was hairy, and I could see small eyes like a tarantula. I noticed the spider had two fangs that were big enough to see even though he was several feet away. All of a sudden, the spider jumped at me and sunk those fangs into my left hand behind my thumb!

I instantly sat up in bed and rubbed my hand. It hurt! I was actually surprised I didn’t see two big holes in my thumb! Since this dream there have been a couple more times when I felt the pain and had to rub my hand.

In my prayers and studying what dreams meant, I have learned the environment indicates whether a dream is from the Lord or not. Dark environments typically indicate the enemy is doing something or I’m in enemy territory. Light colored environments show God is in charge or I’m in God’s territory. (DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a dream expert. I am repeating what I have learned from others. This is not my knowledge or expertise!) I learned spiders or insects symbolize a spiritual attack. Since I was in a light-colored room and with someone I loved, I knew this particular event was the Lord disciplining me for not obeying him.

Moral of this dream: Father, let me not forget even though it is nighttime where I am at, it’s daytime somewhere else. Let me not forget even though I’m comfortable, many of my brothers and sisters in Christ are being horribly persecuted for following you. When you ask me to pray, I better do what I’m told!!

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

1 Samuel 15:22