My Dream Days [Or, Phariseutical Pursuits]

Wow, I started off a post by making up a word in a title. That can't be a good indication...

*************************************************************************************

I've gotten into this weird cycle lately where I do school work in my sleep. While I am asleep, I will literally be working out problems in my head. When I wake up, it's almost like I studied the school material overnight. Now this can be good, but it can also be confusing.

For example, the other morning, after a good night's rest, I woke up and got out of bed. I had to be at school early that morning, so I took a shower and got ready for the day. While I was making my bed, my alarm began going off. Just as I was resetting the alarm, I heard my brother's voice:

"Noah, wake up!"

I was a little confused, so I waited a few seconds, and then I rolled over on me bed. One thing was awkward, though - I was under the covers. Just as I realized this, I woke up.

"Woke up?" the reader may ask, "Weren't you already awake?" The truth is that I was by no means awake, but if a dream person had told me that, I would have just laughed at him (or her, or it - I have some weird creatures in my dreams).

I had dreamed my entire morning routine, thinking that I was ready for the day, but in reality, I was unprepared as I could be. Nothing that I did had mattered. I couldn't change until I woke up.

This reminded me of an important spiritual concept that we see in Luke 18:10-14:

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but
smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other.

On that morning, I was like the Pharisee. I had done everything right: I did the good works which would get me where I wanted to be. In reality, however, I hadn't changed. I was absolutely deceived as to what was going on in my life.

In our spiritual lives, this is important as well. No matter what we do, we have to constantly be aware that it is only by the grace of God. We don't want to be thought of as the Pharisees were. Paul, in Romans 9:32, condemns them for seeking their salvation

...not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone...

More to come later...