What my quest for a turquoise dress taught me about life
Just one more house. This has to be it.
I've been searching all day for the elusive turquoise dress, certain that one of my friends has it stowed away in her closet just waiting for me to borrow. For what? I don't even know. I'm not even sure it really matters. I'm single-minded. This hunt has consumed my thoughts, priorities, motivation, and energy for hours now and I can sense that I'm finally thisclose to obtaining my prize.
We reach our destination and I am thrilled to spot the jewel tone amongst other garments crammed behind my nameless friend's sliding closet doors. I hold my breath, grasp the silky fabric, and lift the dress out for further examination. That's when I discover it's all too much. It's a freaking ball gown. With poof and ruffles, the length is all wrong, the waistline looks nothing like I remember, and I know this is not the dress of my dreams.
Defeated, I carefully return the heavy hanger to its squished little home. I turn to my faceless companion, shrug my shoulders, and say, "Well, we tried. Where to now?"
She glances out the large bay window overlooking the ocean and reminds me that we were told we could begin reserving seats at 4:00. My watch informs me it is now 6:00. Crap. I follow her gaze and see the mostly vacant chairs, arranged neatly into rows, with an occasional occupant fidgeting every few seats. The water is already lapping at their feet.
"How many seats are we allowed to save again?" I inquire.
"Five each."
My mind is racing. Who would I choose? How would I choose? Why didn't I think of this sooner? I wasted so much time. Even if I did make my selections, would they be able to get there in time? I start to panic.
You see, the world is ending. All these people squirming in their chairs are nervously awaiting the tidal wave that will crash over our land and crush us out of existence. The theory is that if just the right amount of us choose just the right spot to sit and hold our breath at just the right moment, we will somehow be swept into the crest of the wave and survive. But only those who have a seat are given this chance, and I just squandered all my time searching for a some silly dress that didn't even fit right.
Luckily, I woke up before the wave hit and my world ended. But that doesn't mean my subconscious didn't get its message across loud and clear:
I wish I could say I instantly understood everything this dream was trying to tell me, but the truth is I am still unpacking it. And that to me is one of the most beautiful things about these gifts of vision God has given me. I don't have them often - in fact, this is only the fourth one I can recall - but each time He gives me a dream or a vision, it is so intense, so vibrant, and so bizarre I know it can only be from Him. There was the crazy dream about a cross, which became a pivotal part of my testimony; this vision of hope He presented to me this summer; the beautifully poignant image which comforted me by showing me a physical expression of my very internal turmoil; and this most recent wake-up call.
These visions are like pictures for my heart, on the rare occasion when words won't suffice.
To make this most recent experience even more beautiful, later that same day I was rocking out to a gloriously random stream of music in the car and the following song came through the speakers.
In case you are missing the connection, here are the lyrics for the first two verses and the chorus (you think God is trying to tell me something?):
In your ocean, I'm ankle deep
I feel the waves crashin' on my feet
It's like I know where I need to be
But I can't figure out, yeah I can't figure out
Just how much air I will need to breathe
When your tide rushes over me
There's only one way to figure out
Will you let me drown, will you let me drown?
Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees.
I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful
I've been searching all day for the elusive turquoise dress, certain that one of my friends has it stowed away in her closet just waiting for me to borrow. For what? I don't even know. I'm not even sure it really matters. I'm single-minded. This hunt has consumed my thoughts, priorities, motivation, and energy for hours now and I can sense that I'm finally thisclose to obtaining my prize.
We reach our destination and I am thrilled to spot the jewel tone amongst other garments crammed behind my nameless friend's sliding closet doors. I hold my breath, grasp the silky fabric, and lift the dress out for further examination. That's when I discover it's all too much. It's a freaking ball gown. With poof and ruffles, the length is all wrong, the waistline looks nothing like I remember, and I know this is not the dress of my dreams.
Defeated, I carefully return the heavy hanger to its squished little home. I turn to my faceless companion, shrug my shoulders, and say, "Well, we tried. Where to now?"
She glances out the large bay window overlooking the ocean and reminds me that we were told we could begin reserving seats at 4:00. My watch informs me it is now 6:00. Crap. I follow her gaze and see the mostly vacant chairs, arranged neatly into rows, with an occasional occupant fidgeting every few seats. The water is already lapping at their feet.
"How many seats are we allowed to save again?" I inquire.
"Five each."
My mind is racing. Who would I choose? How would I choose? Why didn't I think of this sooner? I wasted so much time. Even if I did make my selections, would they be able to get there in time? I start to panic.
You see, the world is ending. All these people squirming in their chairs are nervously awaiting the tidal wave that will crash over our land and crush us out of existence. The theory is that if just the right amount of us choose just the right spot to sit and hold our breath at just the right moment, we will somehow be swept into the crest of the wave and survive. But only those who have a seat are given this chance, and I just squandered all my time searching for a some silly dress that didn't even fit right.
In case you haven't caught on yet:
this is a dream.
Luckily, I woke up before the wave hit and my world ended. But that doesn't mean my subconscious didn't get its message across loud and clear:
wake up and check your priorities.
I wish I could say I instantly understood everything this dream was trying to tell me, but the truth is I am still unpacking it. And that to me is one of the most beautiful things about these gifts of vision God has given me. I don't have them often - in fact, this is only the fourth one I can recall - but each time He gives me a dream or a vision, it is so intense, so vibrant, and so bizarre I know it can only be from Him. There was the crazy dream about a cross, which became a pivotal part of my testimony; this vision of hope He presented to me this summer; the beautifully poignant image which comforted me by showing me a physical expression of my very internal turmoil; and this most recent wake-up call.
These visions are like pictures for my heart, on the rare occasion when words won't suffice.
To make this most recent experience even more beautiful, later that same day I was rocking out to a gloriously random stream of music in the car and the following song came through the speakers.
In case you are missing the connection, here are the lyrics for the first two verses and the chorus (you think God is trying to tell me something?):
In your ocean, I'm ankle deep
I feel the waves crashin' on my feet
It's like I know where I need to be
But I can't figure out, yeah I can't figure out
Just how much air I will need to breathe
When your tide rushes over me
There's only one way to figure out
Will you let me drown, will you let me drown?
Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees.
I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful
Comments
Maybe your dreams are glimpses into Truth.
The music video makes one come ALIVE. That feels good. Don't want to sleep through life.
LOVE,
GRAND DAD