Dream baby, dream

“I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” Joel 2:28 NIV

My wife and I have been blessed with three kids of our own. They, in turn, blessed us with some “extra” kids. Some of their friends have grown to be part of our family. It’s a pretty cool thing to be able to watch them grow in life. They get married, they have kids and we get to have a place in their lives as well.

One of those kids called us to ask us to hold – I mean carefully supervise educational play – her one-month old son. This momma used to be one of Jordyn’s closest friends. Jordyn called her a soul sister. They were close. We were quick to agree. We love educating babies, you know – for their future.

My wife was first in line to hold this beautiful human being. When she finally gave me a turn I settled in nicely. There is no more relaxing thing on earth than holding a baby. I cannot hold on to stress or worry with a baby around. It’s special.

I noticed something though. This one-month old was dreaming. I could see Rapid Eye Movement. He smiled in his sleep. He sometimes sort of cried while he was sleeping. His breathing changed to match the emotional changes I could see on his face. He slept for over an hour while I was holding him - I mean teaching him to hold still. He dreamed nearly the entire time.

This baby has not experienced much in his life. Sleep, eat, poop, – repeat. I started to wonder what in the world he was dreaming about. I have grown used to wondering what is going on in the mind of another person from being around our son. But he is 15 years old. We are talking about 30 days of human existence. Something is already in there.

I realize that human experience varies for us all. Some people experience many struggles while others seem to fly through life with ease. But I think we live far below our potential, not in terms of physical ability or accomplishment, but in terms of spiritual ability. Do we stop to dream about what God says is possible?

Some struggles are extreme - loss of a loved one, life threatening illness, divorce and many others are very real. But I think we let some struggles become more than they should. If you struggle financially have you allowed for your mind to dream about overcoming that, whether in fact or in perception? If your marriage is struggling do you allow yourself to dream about it thriving?

Do we dream dreams, or do we dream nightmares while wide awake? Do we seek prophesy into our own lives, or do we let the world set the narrative? The world wants to set a negative narrative. If a one-month old baby can dream with no experience, why do we let our own minds set the limits of what we think is possible? Maybe deep inside a 30-day old human is something pre-wired by the creator Himself. Maybe he is dreaming about something God planted in him while I tend to let it be covered with work, stress, anxiety and “experience”. Maybe the same wiring is still inside us.

Do you have any dreams that you just cannot shake? Have you convinced yourself to ignore God or you?

Do you consult the negative voice in your mind more than you consult the Spirit poured out on us?

Challenge: Maybe leave room for the possibility that God has placed something inside of you. Take steps to intentionally remove the clutter, noise, pressure and to-do lists, even for a few minutes. Dream baby dream!

Rick Claiborn