Dreaming Big

February 3, 2015 by JoAnna 10 Comments

In a recent dream, I admired the painted steps at a park. The artist had started with a yellow background, then added all sorts of animals: polar bears, lions, and there must have been elephants there too, with colorful flag-like tapestries draped on their backs. I sat on the steps and studied the design thinking,

I could do art like this…..if I had the time.

At least a dozen times, I’ve gone to an art show, or gallery, and said that same line to myself? If I only had the time….

A couple nights later I dreamed about trying to encourage an elephant into my dad’s backyard. It wasn’t working, so I woke up, thinking this was about trying to get Dad to move closer to where I live.

The next night, I was reading, A Second Look at Jesus, written by my friend John Evans. In chapter 5, “Meeting the Guru,” I discovered the following passage:

“Maharishi said that inviting God into our life was akin to inviting an elephant into our modest hut.The inevitable result was a certain amount of destruction. Then it was necessary to build a larger and stronger structure. This process of destruction and reconstruction continued over time until a vast palace was constructed and the elephant was in a properly proportioned and durable environment.”

The destruction that took place in my life at the beginning of this century – from divorce, loneliness, and trying to love the wrong people – was necessary to make room for God to fit  into my life in a bigger way, to make room for new surprises and new directions.

Sometimes we need to knock down walls to make room for something even better.

But knocking down walls can be scary. Can I just add on another room?

Or maybe knocking down walls could be fun and exciting.

I aim to find out.

 

The elephant photo is from http://pixabay.com/