A STAGE IN MY FRONT YARD
Imagine the thundering roar of tornadoes surrounding you. Personally, I have never actually experienced this in real life. Some say it sounds like a freight train; others describe it like jet engines or even waterfalls. Still others can only recount the sound as indescribable… unlike anything they have ever heard before.
So imagine… you are surrounded by this inescapable noise, and you calmly rise to make your way to the basement. Once you descend the stairs, you find yourself looking out gaping holes in place of the brick walls that once created a place of safety and security in the face of a storm. Through the openings you visualize active funnel clouds, touching the ground and sweeping across the horizon in every direction. Suddenly you are acutely stricken by complete silence. You are stunned by your own lack of a sense of fear or urgency. In fact, nobody in your dream is afraid.
Yep… it’s just a dream. One of my dreams, actually. The storms were a recurrent theme in my dreams for several years. Early on I felt like God had a message for me, and one day while reading Matthew 14 the lightbulb illuminated in my brain. It has been a lesson that has served me well, reminding me to look for God’s hand during the storms I face. I believe God has used and will use the lessons I have learned from those dreams for my testimony.
Matthew 14 talks about the disciples and a storm they faced on the Sea of Galilea, but we can practically substitute any storm we face and learn from that story today. Our storms often come to us through loss (loss of loved ones, marriages, finances, health struggles and loss of independence). If we consider the story in Matthew 14, we can find hope in Peter’s circumstances. He sunk quickly when he took his eyes off Jesus. That is a good reminder for us when we find ourselves in the midst of a storm. When we are able to keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, the wind and the waves fade in the periphery. We find ourselves filled with gratitude in place of fear. We can hold onto hope, and let go of chaos.
I experienced these recurrent dreams for years. They sparked a profound interest for me in storms. I found myself wanting to be a storm-chaser. But one day the dreams stopped. And it wasn’t like I just never had another… I had a final dream that was very obviously related, but different than all the others. It focused on what happens before a tornado unfolds. If you have ever watched the shows on storm-chasers, you may recall hearing them talk about “debris,” the chaos that precedes a tornado. My final dream focused on the debris, which was unlike any actual debris I could have imagined. This debris was a sight to behold, and I would catalog it as nothing short of breathtaking.
My hair stylist at the time was there, and I remember her looking into the sky, exclaiming, “He’s coming! Jesus is coming.” I looked up to see a parade overhead. Heavenly beings sat aboard the floats, surrounded by shimmering ice crystals that glistened as the sun’s rays bounced off them. Rich vibrant hues typically reminding me of Easter consumed the sky; peridot, citrine, peach morganite, amethyst and blue topaz came to life. And I suddenly found myself standing in my front yard, a block away, looking at a traffic signal, suspended over a stage. Yes… a stage in my front yard.
Years later, just before my book released, I believe God revealed to me the meaning of the stage, and the traffic signal, two components of the dream I had previously been in awe of. I believe the stage was meant for me, and the traffic signal, which contained only a red light and a green light, invited me to the stage. The parade, I believe, depicts Jesus’ return.
I believe I am called to speak out for the Lord, and I have been given the green light. He will let me know when the light turns red. There is no need for a caution light, because the Lord is with me.
So I am stepping out in faith, and I trust God will open the doors to wherever He wants me to go.