If last night’s dream—er, nightmare—was any indication, I am now considered an old (wo)man to the Lord, because as much as I tried to erase the horrifying images from my mind, He insisted I dig deeper.
I once took my students on a field trip to the alligator farm in Natchitoches. Standing on a bridge overlooking an alligator pond, we watched as the reptiles hungrily crawled over each other to lap up the meat dangled in front of them.
To me, it was terrifying, but the students were always kept at a safe distance away.
In this dream, however, there was no safety net, no restricted areas. The gators could not come all the way out of the shallow pond they were aggressively crowded in, but people could freely walk along the edge.
Some slipped, getting too close by accident, and were gobbled up by the vicious predators. Others laughingly taunted the gators, also easily ensnared as soon as their feet came within reach.
Adults, kids, teens… there were as many people skirting the edge of the pond as there were alligators within. It was a game to many. One they always lost.
I stood far away, yelling at them all to move away. They laughed. Everyone thought they’d succeed where others had failed. Not one of them did. I saw loved ones gobbled up in minutes. I saw others so despondent over losing loved ones that they pitched their own bodies into the pit in a moment of sheer desolation.
I woke myself up yelling at them to get away, and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness and my heart rate slowed back down, I felt utter relief that it had all been just a bad dream.
The images kept coming back, though, long after I’d gotten up. It was just a bad dream, I told myself, trying to erase the thoughts from my mind. Still they remained.
I need you to look, the Lord whispered to my heart. At once it became clear.
…do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:27
Everyone skirting around the pond had given the devil a foothold. Some thinking their sin couldn’t hurt them. Others knowing, but not caring. There were those so despondent they stopped trying to guard against danger, and some just weren’t paying attention.
They all ended up devoured by the enemy.
I haven’t always stood at a safe distance. I skirted the perimeter myself and am in danger of returning at any time if I don’t guard my heart.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
I realize this isn’t merely a dream. It’s life, and it’s happening all around us.
It’s up to us as Christians to erect a fence around danger and lead others to safety.
Leave a comment