Meltdown

I had a dream in which I was working in a large company and we were getting ready for a trade show. Everyone was frantically trying to get everything done in time and the general feel was rush, panic, impatience and frustration.

Finally the deadline had been reached and we were off to the trade show facility. Now the atmosphere was excited, anticipatory....and even partyish.

My job was done and all I wanted to do was go home.

As I was leaving I was walking through an asphalt, paved area....like a parking lot, only full of people. It was very crowded and the further away I got from the 'event' location I noticed strange things about the people.

One man, ahead of me, was steadly walking the same direction I was, but with each step was unintentionally coming closer and closer to me. I held out my arm to block him from running into me. He bumped into my arm and looked down at me with a slightly disapproving expression. I fell in step behind him and then saw what I hadn't seen before....that he was supporting another person who was leaning heavily against him and trying to walk.

After that, I noticed the people around me seemed to be in various stages of “melt down”, similar to the wax of a burning candle. It was like something out of a horror movie. First it was the occasional body part....a melting hand or foot. The farther I walked, the worse it got. To a point where they had become mostly slimy, gelatinous puddles with only a melting limb or two remaining. It was hard to step around them.

Finally I came to a place where it was nothing but pools of multi-colored slime....but there was no longer any place to step to get around them. I stood there trying to figure out where to step and finally spoke to the “puddle” in front of me and said I needed to get by and needed to step on it somewhere, but didn't want to hurt it. (Even though I had seen people ahead of me walk right on them to go by.)

The “puddle” seemed to indicate it was okay to go ahead and step on it. As I began to cross, I reached down to touch the puddle to express my thanks, and somehow it formed a hideous, slimy hand. When our hands clasped, I felt such a wave of love and compassion both to and from the “puddle.”

That was the end of the dream, but when I awoke I thought, Lord, is that what people are really like inside? Our 'souls' are all wrapped up in skin casings....but spiritually in various stages of “melt down”? And, perhaps we need to realize what we “see” often disguises the great need and pain inside those we meet.

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."