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I'm really tired tonight. My TV weather anchor career has really taken its toll on me today, especially on my free time away from the station. What a competitive vocation this is! Let me just slip into bed before the forecasted storm comes in.
Now, I don't exactly know when it happened, but I must have crashed into another heavy sleep.
Suddenly I found myself standing by a large, calm, restful body of water with not a ripple anywhere to be found. It was as if the Creator Himself was controlling the degree of peacefulness. So peaceful was this water that one could actually peer into the water and see a reflection of their face.
I was tempted to jump in for a breath of fresh air, but this would cause a water disturbance, so I chose not to. Anyway, onward with my story or should I say, my dream.
Next, as I was walking alongside the water, the strangest occurrence took place. I found a rather unusual character walking alongside of me. He was dressed in Bible garb and His face seemed to shine as the sun.
We walked for some time, just staring at each other, and then He finally spoke. "Check out the water and what do you see?" He asked.
"What a strange remark," I thought. "It's merely a body of water, nothing unusual other than its still motionless, undisturbed appearance."
He then asked if I happened to see the face of the waters.
"Well, not exactly," I replied rather sharply, not knowing what this stranger was up to.
"Do you not feel the water has a face?" He questioned.
"What on earth is this strange man up to?" I mused again quietly in my mind.
He then said nothing more. Pulling an old Bible from His pocket, He commenced reading.
"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:2)
"What do you make of this Scripture?" He asked.
"First of all, is that Mom's old Bible you have there in your hand?" I demanded.
He never answered. He just asked the same question again.
Well, I'm really not sure," I replied. This is when he began what I call His sermon of practicality,
Here are His remarks, as best I remember. "You see, the human race is an unique animal at best, for we are all made after the image of our Creator. (Gen 1:26-27) We need only to gaze into each other's facial expression to ascertain or determine ones frame of mind. For the face will surely display our moods and feelings."
"The face will show such moods as being sad, being glad, being happy, being sorrowful, being discontent, being worried," and on and on He went.
So now His most important question, "Does one's face express God's Spirit? Can one's outlook on life be determined in the face? He questioned.
"What an interesting concept," I thought.
He then followed up by asking, "Can this big body of water reflect one's moods metaphorically speaking?"
"Well, since you put it that way, I just may be able to answer. We know water can be calm or a wind can spin it out of control in the space of a moment. So our lives can also be calm or out of control, given any particular circumstance." I replied. "So figuratively speaking like the changing water, we humans may have changing dispositions. And as one sees the elements of the water, so may the moods of humans be seen as well," I replied.
"That's not exactly what I was getting at," He continued.
"May I then add a theologian's response? We see the working of God's Holy Spirit throughout the Scripture, from the beginning of creation to the end time events. As (Genesis 1:2) enumerates, the earth was without form and darkness was upon the face of the waters."
"In other words there was a factor of confusion and emptiness. In parallel a lost soul is without God, and is in darkness as well. Once one is born again, this disorder ceases. God's work of grace changes it all (Ephesians 2:8-9). Do you see my point?" he concluded.
"Well, then, what am I to make of your comparing of water to the game of life, so to speak?" I asked.
Before He could answer, He hadt disappeared. And in concert with his departure, I could see my face in the calm waters. What I found was not very pleasant. I'll just leave it at that.
"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit."(Proverbs 15:13)
In a twinkling of an eye, I found myself awake sitting up in my bed. I guess I must have left the TV on, when I fell asleep, for the weather channel was showing, and the late night weather jock was giving the weather. You guessed it, the weather person was showing a violent storm heading my way.
No, my face wasn't to be in this storm, thank goodness. Nonetheless, I just couldn't shake seeing my picture in the waters of my dream world. What did I do then? I immediately looked under my bedside table, and lo and behold, there was Mom's old Bible glowing in the dark. It was the same Bible this stranger had used. After wiping off the dust, I amazingly turned to a particular highlighted scripture and commenced reading.
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us. (I John 1:8-10)
What was also odd was that written in the margin of her Bible, alongside this particular highlighted Scripture verse were a number of dates. And these dates seemed to reflect the many times I had gotten in trouble with the law.
Wow, what a spiritual knockout punch this Scripture gave me. In all my born days in church, I've never seen this scripture before, but it certainly hit home with me. After my reading, I was instantly compelled to fall on my knees by my bed.
Yes, my life was drastically changed that night. I just can't wait for my next water dream. For I just know, according to His promised word, my face will without a doubt will be changed.
And from then on out, my weather forecasting never looked sharper. You see, He not only controls the weather (Psalm 19:1-6), but me as well.
Author's Postscript
Can the gist of one peering into in a reflection of water actually judge one's heart? ( Proverbs 21:2).
The idea of water reflecting the face is easy to understand, but what about the heart? Does a person's life really reflect one's inner being? Jesus tells that a person's outward actions actually reflect what's in the heart. To me personally, I agree.
For what's in our heart comes out in one way or another through what we do. You see, we can paint ourselves with makeup and disguise ourselves from the world as the best of humanity, but God sees straight through us.
So now, just who was this mystery stranger in my dream, this man all decked out in Bible garb, with a face shinning as the sun? This character of my blog just seemed to have it all figured out. What about you?
"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)
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