Thursday, September 15, 2011

a dream.


photo credit
4 years ago, almost to the day, I had a vivid dream. I dream a lot. But I don't always remember them nor are they always vivid. But this particular dream was very vivid...so much so that I can still see it in my mind's eye to this day.

I was laying in a bed trying to go to sleep. Everything was dark except for directly around the bed which was only dimly lit.I was laying on my side when all of a sudden a sheep jumped up onto the bed and lay down next to me. I was disgusted because the sheep was filthy...hay and dirt and leaves and such all matted into its wool and it was getting in my bed and on my sheets. I tried to push it away to keep it from touching me but each time it pressed in closer. I'd push...it'd press in. I'd push...it'd press in.

The more I tried to push it away the closer it wanted to be.

Reluctantly I let this sheep lay next to me but I tried not to touch it. But after a while I realized that all this sheep wanted was to be close to me. It meant no harm. It didn't know it was so dirty. It didn't know it was making a mess. It just wanted to be near me.

Hesitantly I draped my arm over this sheep and was surprised at how soft it was. I allowed it to snuggle in close to me and as I did that the hay and the dirt and mud and grime disappeared. It was no longer what I saw. What I saw was a soft, gentle sheep that needed me.

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
 
   Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. -John 21:17

6 comments:

teekaroo said...

What an interesting dream. I just read that passage last night. Now I will forever think of a dirty sheep when I read it. :)

Anonymous said...

wow

You Can Call Me Jane said...

Wow is right. Thanks for sharing this.

MAYBELLINE said...

Did you know that seeing a sheep in your dream is a sign of compassion?

Judith ,Davidson NC said...

Hi Michele,
wonderful insight. i have a pix i want to send you of an oil painting over my mantle W/sheep. i selected it because it reminded me of this same passage. god be with you always,
judith, davidson NC

Nancy said...

how beautiful!

I must share something with you. When I was a little girl, a neighboring farm raised sheep. One morning the wife called to ask my mom if I'd like to have a baby lamb to raise. Its mother had died shortly after giving birth and the mother they were hoping would accept it did not. I of course was thrilled! So, little lamb came to my farm and found a new home. I would let the lamb into our yard every morning and I would sit on the step to bottle feed it. I remember that it was warm outside and mom had flowers planted in a large cast iron kettle within the yard; little lamb ate them. He would follow me around the yard, run when I run, sit when I sit, etc. Such fun. Each evening I would put him in the old "chicken house" and because the latch was broken on the door, we placed a large rock in front of it. As he got older, he got stronger and one morning I went out to get him and the door was ajar and he wasn't to be found. I cried. We looked everywhere and eventually we found his body down near the pig pens. We assumed that he must have pushed on the door hard enough to move the rock and the coyotes got him. I was devestated. That night (so I was told) my dad and brothers sat in the tree and killed the coyote that came back to the body. (Are you crying yet?) So, since then I've always thought about the correlation between my pet lamb and my savior lamb.