By Stephanie Fisk
I want to share a dream that I had last night.
In my dream, I was at a talent show. Every act was a little different, but they all focused around song and dance. So, earlier in the day, for some reason, I had signed up to perform a ballet routine at the talent show that night. At the time I signed up, I felt pretty confident in myself and my dancing abilities. As the night approached, I was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing taking it in stride. I didnt even feel the need to get into my costume until right before I was going to perform.
Once the talent show started (for some reason I was the last one of twenty-five acts), I was all of a sudden in a state of fear and panic. I was not prepared to dance tonight. I wasnt even a dancer! I had never learned a dance before and I was not dressed yet! Could I fake it? I then looked out into the audience, hundreds of people sat throughout the humungous auditorium. With all these people watching, I was going to make a fool of myself! What am I going to do? I thought, Why had I not prepared more in advance?
When I woke up this morning, I just kind of laughed at myself. But as I thought about it more, I began to understand what this dream symbolized. The dance routine was the World Race. And the dancer (or lack thereof), was the warrior.
Lately, I have been a bit anxious about getting everything done before I leave for the Race on December 30. The question, Will I be prepared enough? is constantly on my mind. Also, like in the dream, I still find myself wondering, Am I truly a warrior? and more so, Have I actually put on my armor yet? Or, am I waiting until battle time?
Instantly, I thought back to Hebrews 13:20-21: May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.
As God is calling each of us out of our comfort zone, He is simultaneously calling us each closer to Him. It is stated in the final book in the C.S Lewis Narnia series, Further Up and Further In. Yes, we need to do our part in the preparation process, but we need to keep in mind that the Lord Jesus Christ has been preparing our hearts, minds and souls for a time such as this for longer than we can comprehend. More than anything, I feel the Lord whispering, Surrender and sacrifice, that is the life I am calling you to.