When a Dream Dies
SHARON JAYNES
“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.’”
Ezekiel
37:4b-5 (NIV)
I sat /on my porch /with my Bible and a hot mug of coffee. Early
morning is my favorite time of day. Just me, Jesus and a smattering of
birds. However, this morning, as I looked out /over my backyard, my eyes
landed on a mound of fur /nestled in the grass.
I moved in /for a closer look. My heart sank /as I discovered what
appeared to be a curled-up lifeless baby fawn. Probably the same fawn () my
neighbor had seen /nursing from its mom /the day before. My heart broke. I
understand the circle of life, but still. A baby fawn lay dead in my yard. Most likely the target of the coyote () I’d seen /roaming around.
I couldn’t get close enough /to see the wound. Sometimes that is the
way of things. I would have to wait /until my husband got home to take
care of the situation, as I didn’t have the nerve.
All morning long my mind returned to the still form /lying in the sun. Hours passed. At noon
I looked out /of the window and the fawn remained unmoved. I couldn’t
stand it. I had to know what had happened to it. So I mustered up my
courage and made my way to the fawn. Three feet away. Stop. No signs of
an attack. I inched closer.
Finally, I knelt down by the beautifully-crafted creature, admiring God’s handiwork. But I couldn’t see what had killed it.
“What happened to you, little deer?” I whispered.
Suddenly, the fawn’s head popped up! Startled eyes stared into mine.
Like a deer caught in the headlights, I fell back on the grass. Time
stood still for a moment /as we stared /at each other /in disbelief!
Finally, the fawn sprang /to its feet, wobbled a bit and scampered
off. I sat /in the grass and laughed and laughed and laughed. So, the
fawn wasn’t dead after all. It had simply found a bit of grass and
fallen asleep … until almost noon.
After my heart rate returned to its normal pace, God spoke to my heart: “Sometimes things are dead, and sometimes they just need to be woken up.”
I pondered those words /for the rest of the day. I called a friend //who
was struggling /in her marriage — in a very bad way.
The sort of way
//that leaves you wondering if it will survive. I told her the story.
Sometimes things are dead, and sometimes they just need to be woken up.
Sometimes a marriage is dead, and sometimes it just needs to be woken up.
Sometimes a friendship is dead, and sometimes it just needs to be woken up.
Sometimes a dream is dead, and sometimes it just needs to be woken up.
I think of how God told the prophet Ezekiel to speak to the valley of dry bones: “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’”
(Ezekiel 37:4-6).
I imagine () Ezekiel felt pretty silly /talking to those dry bones.
And
honestly sometimes I feel pretty silly /obeying God and speaking life
into the dry bones of some of my situations.
So here’s the word for me and you today.
For my friend /struggling in her marriage …
For my friend //who cries for her adult son //who walked away from God …
For my friend //who longs to cuddle up with a good husband /rather than a good book …
Don’t assume () the dream is dead. Sometimes it just needs to be woken up.
Dear Lord, Wake me up! Stir my heart. It’s not over /until You say ()
it’s over. I commit to continue to pray for what others deem as a lost
cause, for I know that there is never a lost cause /when it comes to Your
power to save, to deliver, to redeem, to rebuild. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.