Keeping up the Pace

I had an interesting dream last night. Now I realize most dreams are silly nonsense, our mind’s way of sorting through the activities of the day, etc. But I truly believe that once in a while, we can receive important messages through that format. This was one of those—at least for me. I’ve had a few like this one in my life. Some are too sacred to share. Most leave me with a deep feeling of comfort and peace. And upon awakening, the details remain intact, unlike other dreams that fade into the misty corners of my memory.

I feel impressed to share a portion of this one—I’m not sure why, other than the peace and comfort this message instilled within me may be important to pass on to those of you who are enduring a similar mindset. 

To begin, we live in a negative world. I believe I have addressed this item a couple of times in other blog posts. It’s really true, though. The news stories we see on a daily basis are enough to convince people that there is little hope in today’s world for a bright future. Combine that with how we’re often treated by others, and it’s enough to sink anyone’s boat of self-confidence. Hence this much-needed dream:

In the beginning, I was jogging. (Don’t make fun—in truth, I have never jogged. I do walk on a regular basis for exercise, but I digress . . .) I was pretty impressed with how well I was jogging along the path I had chosen to follow. As I moved forward, I passed others who were trying to make their way along this same path. Some were faster than others. Some were barely moving in place. I stopped to help a couple of these, but soon discovered there was little I could do. It was as though they had given up and were content to remain where they were.

Shrugging, I continued forward. I eventually caught up to an older woman who was in synch with the pace I was keeping. We began to visit as we jogged along. She asked me questions about who I was and what was important to me. I shared items like family, friends, the Gospel, etc. And as is the way in dreams, suddenly we were inside of an office of sorts. The older woman sat at an impressive desk and continued with our “interview.” 

“Tell me about the things you have accomplished,” she encouraged. 

Surprised by this request, I began with where I graduated from high school, where I attended college, and touched on getting married, having children, etc. Then she began digging for more information. “What has been important to you? How have you spent your time? List the things that you have achieved.”

I dug a bit deeper and told her about some of the things that I’ve attempted  through the years. Towards the end of this list, she smiled warmly and congratulated me on all that I have tried to do. It was a good reminder. “Reflect on this list when life drags you down,” she counseled. “You have accomplished much that is good—remember this.”

I woke with a deep feeling of comforting peace. And I knew I had been given a message. I reflected on a prayer I had uttered a few nights ago. It had been a particularly “bad” day, one of those when nothing seems to go right. Mentally, I began my silent prayer by beating myself up inside. “Why did I handle things that way? Why didn’t I say this instead? Why am I such an idiot—such a failure? Please help me to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing right now.”

I can look back now and know that I had taken quite a beating to my confidence level by the adversary who is an expert when it comes to tearing us down. He never plays fair and he always hits below the belt trying to get us to believe the very worst about ourselves. He translates how others perceive us and assures that our worst fears are indeed true.

It takes quite a bit to shake off that negativity, to rise above the dark thought process that tries to convince us that we are worthless. What a challenge it can be to continue to “jog” along the path of life, keeping our outlook positive as we try to help those we meet along the way. 

How important it is to heed promptings when they come to “smile at that person,” “talk to this person,” or “give that person a compliment.” Your efforts may be what that person needs to keep going. 

And on bad days when nothing seems to go right, take a moment to ponder how wonderful you truly are. You are a son or a daughter of God. You came to this world with inspiring gifts and talents. (Yep, these two things are different. One designates physical abilities like being an artist, etc, the other denotes spiritual strengths.) Use these items to make a positive difference in this troubled world. I believe that someday, we’ll be asked to give an accounting of what we did with them. Hopefully we can truthfully answer that we blocked out the “dark side” to make life more inspiring for others.