The Dream of Hope
The hallway was scantly lit, matter of fact I wasn't sure if it had lights at all, it may have been sunlight peaking through the cracks. The floors were old wood, like planks brought together from an old barn. As I walked the creaking noise created an uneasy feeling that I just couldn't put my finger on. Where am I, was the obvious question. Feeling lost all I knew to do was to keep walking. I reached a dead end, on both sides were stairs going up and down. I turned to look back and for some odd reason the hallway was darker than I first noticed. I couldn't see the other end, of which I just came. With hesitation and reservation I knew I had to make a decision. I made the turn and headed up the stairwell.
Each step felt like the board underneath could giveaway at any minute. It only took seconds to reach the summit. Thank goodness the hall on the second level had better lighting. As I walked gingerly, not having a clue where I was or how I got there, I was cautiously observant. There were several doors I could see, that would remind you of a school. I approached the first door and noticed a colorful sign that simply said "peace". The door was unlocked so I walked in. There were probably 35 people hanging around. I thought, what the heck, I'll engage in conversation, hoping I will find out where and why I am wherever I am. As I enter the crowd, no one seemed to notice that I was there. I said hello to a gentleman and he did not respond. I reached out for a handshake trying to be nice, then the shock came, the man literally walked right through me, as though one of us didn't exist. My heart was racing and my mind was confused. I decided to eavesdrop and see what they were talking about. Much to my dismay they were talking about me. Thank God they were talking about me peacefully. I eased out of the room and back into the hallway. I propped up against a wall and thought, wow if I am dead, at least I made it to what seems like a decent place.
With an air of confidence, I headed toward the next door. This one was labeled "Division". My knees were shaking as I turned the knob and walked in. Hoping the room would be empty, I must admit I was disappointed. Not only was it packed, you could hardly move. The discussions were wild and furious. As I listened in I recalled many of those occasions from years gone by. Gosh, I thought it was all just harmless dialogue between friends. No one could see me, as I suppose I was just a spirit or ghost. I mustered up the courage to walk deeper into the room. The closer I got to the back I noticed people crying, angry, sad, depressed, and even one that seemed lost and lonely. My head dropped, I thought to myself, surely to goodness I hadn't been a part of such horrible actions that left an indelible mark on people. I listened intently for a few seconds as the discussion was about the graphic words between friends that wrecked havoc on people's emotions. I couldn't take it, I rushed through the crowd and out the door. My whole body trembling, how could I have ever been a part of such bitter actions that ultimately harmed people in ways I could never imagine. As my knees crumbled, I fell to the floor. It was then I realized how powerful and harmful words can be.
I needed to get out this place NOW, I decided to head back to the stairway, down the steps and through the hall of which I came. When I got back to the floor I started on, my eyes had adjusted to the low levels of light. I could see that there were doors on this level too. Walking back I saw on my left a door that said "LOVE". I thought to myself, THANK GOD, this room should be packed to the walls with people that adored me for all the wonderful things I ever did. With enthusiastic energy I opened the door. The room was completely empty. My anxiety was off the charts, my hope was shattered, and my mind was going in more directions than I could handle. Surely this must be a mistake. The light was dim in the room, so I headed over to the window to open some blinds and let some sunshine in, but there were no windows, just walls, however I did find a cord hanging down that obviously was attached to some sort of lamp. I pulled the string and low and behold the room lit up. Every wall was a chalk board. Looking around it seemed like every inch had writing or graffiti. I approached gently with heartfelt reservation, to see what was written.
I woke up in a cold sweat. Once I got my bearings about me I realized it was all a dream. My mind was racing 100 miles per hour. My heart was beating out of my chest and my emotions were basically numb at this point. As I reflected on what just took place something interesting came to mind. Do we even know who we are? We see a person in the mirror that gives us an image of what we look like externally, but our heart mind and soul is without reflection, other than our actions. How do we ever meet the person that resides in our body. I thought about the door of peace and it felt warm and welcoming. It actually gave me a false sense of security, it fed my ego, boasted my confidence, and made me feel as though I had fulfilled my contribution to society. Then I remembered the door of division. Oh my if only I could explain to others what I saw and how I felt. I never realized how such subtle words and actions can do such much harm. It is true, we should taste our words before we spit them out.
The lasting impact on me though will be the room of LOVE. Devoid of people, yet filled with hope. Just as I was about to read the messages others had written in the name of love, I woke up. Why? I got to witness the warmth of peace and had to endure the pain of division, why didn't I get to appreciate the love I had shared over the years. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.
I was elated and sad all at the same time. Why in the world hadn't I realized this years ago? Maybe I did but I just got so callus to it that I forgot it or simply ignored it. God is love, God created us in his image with love for love. We must believe without a shadow of a doubt that we are an expression and extension of that love. As I entered that room, I selfishly expected it to be full thinking that all my amazing acts of love would be on display. What I forgot was that without God at the core of your being, you cannot feel or express love in such a manner that humbles you. Self gratification is not love and that is what I sought. God does not need me to love in such in way that I require attention to validate my actions. God expects us to love with a servants heart in such a way that lifts us all up together. Our actions are a barometer of love. When we feel as though our actions need to be on public display, we are missing the real meaning of agape love. As you read this it is important to understand that we are all human and subject to human emotions and mistakes. We only grow by being human and allowing ourselves to take chances and make mistakes. This is your life, no one else's, it is all you have, live it in such a way that elevates your love for God, Life, and Self.
That dream will forever be in my mind. From this day forward I will work diligently to be a symbol of God's love. I will do my best to love me so that I can fully learn how to love others. In loving ourselves we love what God gave us. We do not need to cast light on the good that we do that light will always burn bright from the hearts we touch and the hope that we provide. What we do matters but why we do it matters so much more. Let all that you do be done in love and someday if you get the opportunity to walk into the room of LOVE as I did you will be able to smile when the room is empty. Then and only then will you be able to say Thank you God for loving me through all my ups and downs. Thank you God for believing that my life matters. Thank you God for showing me that when the room labeled LOVE was empty in that dream, it gave me hope that I do not need to feed my ego, I need to feed my humility. When I first noticed the sign my thoughts were of YES and ROOM filled with love, but when I walked in, my ego was shattered and my humble heart restored. May your room of love always be empty of ego and self gratification, yet be filled with humility, hope, and love.
I will never know exactly what was written on those walls however I hope the words I never saw were words of forgiveness. I truly hope it was others forgiving me for the times I trespassed them. The highest gift of love is being able to see through our mistakes and focus on the essence of our being and that my friend is the love God placed in us at birth.
God bless
Dale
Each step felt like the board underneath could giveaway at any minute. It only took seconds to reach the summit. Thank goodness the hall on the second level had better lighting. As I walked gingerly, not having a clue where I was or how I got there, I was cautiously observant. There were several doors I could see, that would remind you of a school. I approached the first door and noticed a colorful sign that simply said "peace". The door was unlocked so I walked in. There were probably 35 people hanging around. I thought, what the heck, I'll engage in conversation, hoping I will find out where and why I am wherever I am. As I enter the crowd, no one seemed to notice that I was there. I said hello to a gentleman and he did not respond. I reached out for a handshake trying to be nice, then the shock came, the man literally walked right through me, as though one of us didn't exist. My heart was racing and my mind was confused. I decided to eavesdrop and see what they were talking about. Much to my dismay they were talking about me. Thank God they were talking about me peacefully. I eased out of the room and back into the hallway. I propped up against a wall and thought, wow if I am dead, at least I made it to what seems like a decent place.
With an air of confidence, I headed toward the next door. This one was labeled "Division". My knees were shaking as I turned the knob and walked in. Hoping the room would be empty, I must admit I was disappointed. Not only was it packed, you could hardly move. The discussions were wild and furious. As I listened in I recalled many of those occasions from years gone by. Gosh, I thought it was all just harmless dialogue between friends. No one could see me, as I suppose I was just a spirit or ghost. I mustered up the courage to walk deeper into the room. The closer I got to the back I noticed people crying, angry, sad, depressed, and even one that seemed lost and lonely. My head dropped, I thought to myself, surely to goodness I hadn't been a part of such horrible actions that left an indelible mark on people. I listened intently for a few seconds as the discussion was about the graphic words between friends that wrecked havoc on people's emotions. I couldn't take it, I rushed through the crowd and out the door. My whole body trembling, how could I have ever been a part of such bitter actions that ultimately harmed people in ways I could never imagine. As my knees crumbled, I fell to the floor. It was then I realized how powerful and harmful words can be.
I needed to get out this place NOW, I decided to head back to the stairway, down the steps and through the hall of which I came. When I got back to the floor I started on, my eyes had adjusted to the low levels of light. I could see that there were doors on this level too. Walking back I saw on my left a door that said "LOVE". I thought to myself, THANK GOD, this room should be packed to the walls with people that adored me for all the wonderful things I ever did. With enthusiastic energy I opened the door. The room was completely empty. My anxiety was off the charts, my hope was shattered, and my mind was going in more directions than I could handle. Surely this must be a mistake. The light was dim in the room, so I headed over to the window to open some blinds and let some sunshine in, but there were no windows, just walls, however I did find a cord hanging down that obviously was attached to some sort of lamp. I pulled the string and low and behold the room lit up. Every wall was a chalk board. Looking around it seemed like every inch had writing or graffiti. I approached gently with heartfelt reservation, to see what was written.
I woke up in a cold sweat. Once I got my bearings about me I realized it was all a dream. My mind was racing 100 miles per hour. My heart was beating out of my chest and my emotions were basically numb at this point. As I reflected on what just took place something interesting came to mind. Do we even know who we are? We see a person in the mirror that gives us an image of what we look like externally, but our heart mind and soul is without reflection, other than our actions. How do we ever meet the person that resides in our body. I thought about the door of peace and it felt warm and welcoming. It actually gave me a false sense of security, it fed my ego, boasted my confidence, and made me feel as though I had fulfilled my contribution to society. Then I remembered the door of division. Oh my if only I could explain to others what I saw and how I felt. I never realized how such subtle words and actions can do such much harm. It is true, we should taste our words before we spit them out.
The lasting impact on me though will be the room of LOVE. Devoid of people, yet filled with hope. Just as I was about to read the messages others had written in the name of love, I woke up. Why? I got to witness the warmth of peace and had to endure the pain of division, why didn't I get to appreciate the love I had shared over the years. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.
I was elated and sad all at the same time. Why in the world hadn't I realized this years ago? Maybe I did but I just got so callus to it that I forgot it or simply ignored it. God is love, God created us in his image with love for love. We must believe without a shadow of a doubt that we are an expression and extension of that love. As I entered that room, I selfishly expected it to be full thinking that all my amazing acts of love would be on display. What I forgot was that without God at the core of your being, you cannot feel or express love in such a manner that humbles you. Self gratification is not love and that is what I sought. God does not need me to love in such in way that I require attention to validate my actions. God expects us to love with a servants heart in such a way that lifts us all up together. Our actions are a barometer of love. When we feel as though our actions need to be on public display, we are missing the real meaning of agape love. As you read this it is important to understand that we are all human and subject to human emotions and mistakes. We only grow by being human and allowing ourselves to take chances and make mistakes. This is your life, no one else's, it is all you have, live it in such a way that elevates your love for God, Life, and Self.
That dream will forever be in my mind. From this day forward I will work diligently to be a symbol of God's love. I will do my best to love me so that I can fully learn how to love others. In loving ourselves we love what God gave us. We do not need to cast light on the good that we do that light will always burn bright from the hearts we touch and the hope that we provide. What we do matters but why we do it matters so much more. Let all that you do be done in love and someday if you get the opportunity to walk into the room of LOVE as I did you will be able to smile when the room is empty. Then and only then will you be able to say Thank you God for loving me through all my ups and downs. Thank you God for believing that my life matters. Thank you God for showing me that when the room labeled LOVE was empty in that dream, it gave me hope that I do not need to feed my ego, I need to feed my humility. When I first noticed the sign my thoughts were of YES and ROOM filled with love, but when I walked in, my ego was shattered and my humble heart restored. May your room of love always be empty of ego and self gratification, yet be filled with humility, hope, and love.
I will never know exactly what was written on those walls however I hope the words I never saw were words of forgiveness. I truly hope it was others forgiving me for the times I trespassed them. The highest gift of love is being able to see through our mistakes and focus on the essence of our being and that my friend is the love God placed in us at birth.
God bless
Dale
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