Last week on one of my layovers, I woke up in the middle of the night. I often have trouble getting back to sleep but have found that listening to a podcast helps keep my mind from jumping from one upsetting subject to another. I chose to listen to a sermon by Alistair Begg. He was preaching about Joseph. Joseph is in the dungeon along with Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. They want him to interpret their dreams. Joseph tells the cupbearer that his dream means he will be set free in three days. After hearing that joyous interpretation, the baker is eager to find out what his dream means. At this point, Pastor Begg pauses and asks, “Can you imagine how dreadful it must have been for Joseph to tell the baker what his dream meant? That instead of being set free in three days, Pharaoh was going to have his head cut off, hang him on a tree and that birds will eat away at him?” (I must have drifted off at this point, because I can’t remember any more of the sermon)

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Someone is knocking on my door, I get up to see who it is. He looks familiar so I open the door. He says he is a friend of Dane’s. He is holding a clear box. In the box are a handful of orange Advil tablets, several boxes of Junior Mints, and some mice. My hair stands on end when I see the mice. I can’t even look at them. I tell him if any of the mice get out of the box I might literally die from terror. He ignores me and walks across the room and dumps everything out of the box. I jump up on the bed and start shrieking. My screaming makes them all hustle back to the box. The appallingly speedy mice dart in first, the boxes of Junior Mints scoot back and the Advil tablets hop back. When they they’re all back in the box, the man puts the lid back on it.

 I am dumbfounded, “I had no idea Advil tablets could jump like that!” (Apparently, the scooting boxes of Junior Mints didn’t strike me as unusual). 

 “See?” the man says, “They are way more afraid of you. They’d rather be safe in their box than get screamed at.”

Then he just stands there looking at me. I wonder if he expects me to pay him for his little “magic” show? Or maybe just tip him? After a few minutes of awkward silence, he finally leaves. 

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Half awake, I realize the man in the dream looked familiar because it was Charlie Kirk. Fully awake, I think it’s hilarious. I often have weird dreams, especially after I go back to sleep. I always think I’ll remember them, but I never do. So I got up, grabbed my journal and wrote it all down, I even wrote down what I thought it might mean.

Today, for whatever reason, I decided to get that journal out of my suitcase and read what I’d written. After I finished reading it, I decided it wasn't hilarious after all, but it did make me want to verify the story about the baker’s ghastly demise. I grabbed my Bible, found the story, and sure enough, that’s exactly how it went down with the poor baker. 

Underneath the words “possible interpretation“ I wrote: “Maybe it means we’ve been led to believe we’re better off locked up in our houses than being about our Father’s business—convincing a troubled, fear-filled world that our time is in His hands.”

I’m tempted to leave off the rest of my “interpretation.” It’s a little cheesy, but because it’s the only part that did made me kind of laugh, I’ll share it. I wrote, “Maybe the Advil represents Christians as healers and the Junior Mints as comforters? And the mice? Nothing but sheep dressed in wolves clothing!!! Not innocent little creatures but rather rabid imposters scaring us into immobility.” 

These are disheartening, dark days in America. I keep reminding myself that light ALWAYS overcomes darkness and I pray daily that the light of truth will expose the lies. I think our country is either on the precipice of a great revival, or the days ahead are going to get darker and Christ’s return is imminent. Either way, “God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) And what does God require of us? To seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly. (Micah 6:8) We can, and must, proceed in faith without fear-- resting in the assurance that our times are indeed in God’s loving hands.

“All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Psalms 139:16