I think that when most people hear someone say ‘God spoke to me,’ they tend to think that that person is not quite right in the head. When you hear someone say ‘God told me something,’ what comes to mind first are stories of people who committed murder because ‘God told them to,’ or sold everything they owned including the clothes on their backs and began a pilgrimage in the nude. So when I’m about to tell you that I talk to God and sometimes He talks back to me, some (or a lot) of you may roll your eyes and think ‘Oh boy, another nutcase.’ For a long time I’ve kept these experiences to myself for this reason. I was afraid of disbelief and ridicule. But as I’ve matured I’ve come to realise that what others think of you doesn’t really matter. It’s not what other people think of me that’s important, it what God thinks of me. And that is why I’ve decided to share some of my encounters with God with the world. And while I’m sure some people will dismiss them as the ramblings of an ill person, I hope that these stories may touch a few people. And if I can inspire just one soul out there, then the hundreds of sneers from hundreds of other souls will be rendered utterly inconsequential.
God does speak to us, despite what many think. He doesn’t speak to me in words, but in ideas, concepts, and images. He often tells me things through dreams. ‘Well if it’s a dream, what makes you think it was God and not your subconscious?’ you may wonder. And this is not something I can really explain, either. It’s something you feel in your heart and soul. You just innately know it, just as you know how to breathe. For me these dreams are often more vivid than the others. I get a feeling unlike any other, a feeling I cannot describe, other than to say that it is filled with love, acceptance, and an awe that only God can produce.
I have had a total of two of these dreams. Not many, but it makes them all the more special. I shall share the first dream with you today, the next at a later time. The first is very personal and difficult for me to share with strangers, but I also feel that as a Christian, I have a duty to share it so that it may inspire others to grow in their faith.
In this dream, I met Jesus. In took place when Jesus was alive. There was a great crowd of people who had all come to see Him. I was waiting with the other women until it was my turn. When it was, I took out the gift I had brought for Him. It was two loaves of bread. I bowed my head and held them out to Him. He accepted the gift, spreading His hands out toward me. And then I was overcome by a sense of peace and acceptance like I had never felt before in my life. Jesus was very pleased by my gift, and He accepted me. When I awoke I knew exactly what the dream meant. God told me that there would be a time in my life when I would give Him two gifts that would greatly please Him. I don’t know what they are, but I know that it will become clear when the time arrives.
I had this dream shortly before my grandmother passed away. It helped to see me through that difficult time, knowing that without a doubt God loved me. I told a pair of ladies in hospice about this dream. And the first thing one of them asked me was ‘What did He look like?’ And I just sat and stared at her. ‘I have no idea.’ I answered, and I was shocked because the thought had never even crossed my mind. And I knew that the reason I didn’t know was because it was utterly irrelevant.
I am legally blind. I can see well enough to get around, but I still run into things a lot. I can’t recognise faces or see very far. And when you can’t see a face you grow up knowing that a person’s appearance isn’t at all what’s important. I know people by their voices and their actions, not by how pretty or handsome they are. It was the same for when I met Jesus. His appearance was so completely inconsequential that I couldn’t see His face. My appearance didn’t matter to Him, either. What mattered was my gifts, and His love. And that is how life should be. When you see a person don’t think ‘Are they ugly?’ instead think ‘Are they kind?’ Instead of spending hours in the bathroom in the morning making sure you’re picture-perfect, spend hours praying or doing some serious soul-searching. Try your hardest to be as kind, loving, tolerant, and forgiving as you can. Talk to God, because you never know when He’ll talk back. Trust me, it’ll be the most wonderful thing that ever happens to you.
