Here is another dream I had the following night.
I am the main character in this dream and for some reason I
was an adult placed in first grade. I asked my mom why I was in the first grade
again, knowing I had already graduated college, and she said that there was a
mistake and that it was like my identity and all of my school records were
stolen. So here I am in the first grade class with classmates who stood as high
as my knee. At first I was crushed, angry and disappointed. What was I going to
do?
officials and my teacher the odd situation I was in, and when we walked into my
classroom, she approached the teacher and began to explain all that had
happened. Then she said that as she was walking, she noticed the great need the
school had and told the teacher to write a check for any amount. She said $3,000 or
$4,000. The teacher could not write randomly a check for that much, and began
to write “One Thousand”, but she paused on the 2nd letter of thousand.
Knowing she did not know how to spell ‘thousand’ I began to spell it out loud
for her.
It was at this moment that my perspective began to change. I
could kick and scream all day long about my situation, or I could choose to see
it in a different light. It was then that a little girl named Brittney, who was
wearing a cute hot pink dress and had beautiful dark curly hair, approached me.
She told me a ‘secret’, one that she was too scared to tell anyone else.
Because I was not her teacher or parent, I somehow was approachable. She told
me of the abuse that was taking place at home. I sat and listened in awe. As
she was sitting on my lap, I hugged her. I hugged her with all that I could.
I learned a lot from this dream. No matter what situation
you may be in right now, how you perceive it is entirely up to you. You have
the power to choose how you see it. You can choose to let it keep you down, or
you can see the good in every situation. Yes, I know that some are harder to
find than others, but I know firsthand that it is possible.
This morning during devotions, I spoke on Romans 15:13 and
shared of a really hard time in my life. The first part of the verse talks
about receiving joy and peace when you trust in the Lord. So I encourage you to
keep on hoping and trusting with all that you can. God is always moving in your
life, especially in the times you do not think He is there.
A friend of mine sent me an e-mail regarding this change in
perspective and I find it is fitting to re-post it here. Enjoy.
“I
am thankful for”
the
wife who says it’s hot dogs tonight because she is home with
me and not out with someone else.
the
husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato because he is
home with me and not out at the bars.
the
teenager who is complaining about doing dishes because it means
she is at home, not on the streets.
the
taxes I pay because it means I am employed.
the
mess to clean after a party because it means I have been
surrounded by friends.
the
clothes that fit a little too snugly because it means I have
enough to eat.
my
shadow that watches me work because it means I am out in the
sunshine near the garden, and for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need
cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a house.
all
the complaining I hear about the government because it means we have
freedom of speech.
the
parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means
I am capable of walking and have been blessed with transportation.
my
huge cooling (or heating depending upon where you are!) bill because
it means I am comfortable.
the
lady behind me in church who sings terribly off key because it
means I can hear.
the
pile of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear.
weariness and
aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been capable of
working hard.
the
alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means
I am alive.
–submitted by Frances Shipp, from Weaver
High School, Weaver AL
