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I reflexively laughed aloud when I heard author Ruth Haley Barton quote Psalm 127:2: "God 'grants sleep to those he loves.'" "Why the laughter, Michael?," she asked. "Well," I replied in jest, "I've struggled with insomnia for twenty years. Now I discover that God hates me!"
As I've written previously, I don't have insomnia all the time. Typically, it only troubles me at night. The passing of my parents over the past two years has aggravated my struggle to sleep. And there are times when it's worse than others.
This past Sunday afternoon I came home from worship exhausted. I had experienced several successive nights of fitful sleep. I'd fall asleep in short order, but I'd awaken every ninety minutes or so, anxious for dawn. After a bite of Sunday lunch I crawled under the covers for a nap and fell into a deep, restful slumber--the best sleep I had enjoyed in some time. I had a few remarkable dreams, but one in particular that proved memorable.
In the dream, my father came to me with a sweet grin. He jokingly made reference to a Bible study someone had tried to schedule with him, prior to his death and a few years out. "I guess I'm not going to make that one!" he said. We casually talked back and forth and laughed together. I asked him how he and mom were doing and he smiled large and said, "We"re doing well. We are very happy."
I looked at dad, sensed that he was preparing to leave, and quietly--almost in a whisper, I said, "I miss you." He replied, again with a smile, "I miss you, too. You're our hero."
I laughed dismissively in my dream and replied, "That's rich! Here it's my dream, and I have you calling me, "Your hero"!
He looked at me with a solemn expression and said, "This isn't your dream, and those aren't your words." I awoke from my nap with a sense of sweet peace.
What would you do with a dream like that?
Later in the week a cherished friend called and, with a voice filled with wonder, shared a verse of scripture she'd discovered, a passage reflective of the Lord's abundant provision in her life. It was 1 Peter 1:2: "For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace." Grace upon grace. Gift after gift.
What would I do with a dream like that?
I'll simply accept it with gratitude as an example of "grace upon grace."
What unexpected gifts, "provendipitous" moments, come to your mind when you think of "grace upon grace"?
Have you found God's abundant provision, his "grace upon grace," spiritually transformative, or not so much? How might you become more perceptive of provendipitous moments?
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Michael Fox
m�agine!
530/613.2774
407 Myrtle Drive
Farmerville, LA, USA 71241 |
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In addition to personal and professional coaching,
m�agine! specializes in spiritual transformation coaching,
employing its proprietary models
--Values, Vision, Voice and Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength--
as well as
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator� curriculum
published by CPP, the People Development People.
Michael's books include
Complete in Christ,
Complete in Christ Spiritual Transformation Workbook,
and Biblio�files.
Coaching fees are based upon a sliding scale. Contact us for details.
For additional information, visit our website at maginethepossibilities.net.
Limited scholarships are available for spiritual transformation coaching.
On the flip side, if you are able, please inquire about opportunities
to fund scholarships for those who cannot afford coaching fees.
View our archives!
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