mounted dreams

Photographed by Garrett Randolph

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

-John 20: 19-22

When the sun hits just right through our door window, it casts a pattern of light onto the wall that looks like moving waters. I saw it on the wall the other day, with the light coming towards this framed picture of dried mounted flowers. I was reminded that Garrett had captured a photograph of this before, so I went to searching for it. When I found the picture, the Holy Spirit spoke something that I had never seen before. He mentioned the dreams of God’s children— the dreams and visions that are beautiful and sacred to us because they were conceived in the secret place with the Lord and in moments when the Father has revealed a glimpse of things we were created to do from a place of sonship. As time goes on, these dreams can start to become dry… either appearing as though they have been stunted in the growing process or maybe even aborted in the seedling stages. Every time we think about these dreams, there is sentiment, but also disappointment. So we flatten them out and dry them into two-dimensional pictures, mounting them in frames like a memorial of something that was once good inside of our hearts. We frame them with honor, but grieve them as though they have passed away.

As I looked upon the picture, the Holy Spirit pointed out that the Light of God is coming in like rushing waters to reach through the frames and the glass cases, surrounding the dreams inside us we thought were dead. Just like Jesus entered the room that was locked by the disciples in a state fear and grief, the Light of Jesus and the freshness of His Spirit is coming in to awaken the God-given dreams of Sons and Daughters. He is coming to speak a better word (Hebrews 12:24): that the aborted dreams may be born, the stunted dreams may breathe again, and the barren visions would reproduce, casting the seeds of God’s glory into the world. He is causing all things to grow from a place of rest in Him.

Jesus wants to come into those places of pain and disappointment, speaking: “peace be with you,” reminding us that He is the Author of life and in Him is resurrection power. The Holy Spirit is breathing afresh on things we thought were dead, rooting all dreams in the power of His Spirit to accomplish His will. After all, these were always dreams from Him! The Father is the Gardener who plants, waters, feeds, prunes, and grows (John 15). As my husband and I received this message from the Holy Spirit, we had to humble ourselves and allow the Light of Christ and breath of His Spirit to walk through the walls we have unintentionally built up to memorialize the dreams we thought were dry. As we allowed Him to enter, healing and courage filled us ways we did not even know we needed.

Prayer: “Dear Father, forgive me for not wholeheartedly believing in your Words. I lay down my idea of how things should look and do away with my expectation of how things should grow. I invite you Jesus, to break down the walls that I have built up in fear or disappointment. Come breathe afresh on me, that I would see how You see me as Your Child and that I would align with Your will for my life. I choose to abide and rest in You, knowing that You are the one who brings all life and beauty. Apart from You, I can do nothing. Thank you for Your Love that carries and sustains me. I want to dream with You again. I am Your Child and I trust you, Father.”

“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.  I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’  Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.  I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”

-Ezekiel 37: 1-14