Several weeks after I turned thirteen, I had a dream that I was in a house that was on fire and filled with smoke. There were many other people in this house as well, and some of them were my church family. Most of the people were busy doing household chores or playing games -- they seemed to be completely ignoring the fact that there was a fire! Only several people seemed to be concerned about the fire, and the began helping me tell people to get out. Most of the people ignored us or acted like they couldn't really comprehend what was going on, but some of the people became aware and started helping us. As we rushed to warn everyone, I remember climbing up a ladder into a large loft-like room that had several children sleeping in it. I immediately ran over to their beds, woke them up, and started helping them out of the loft. When I had gotten all the children down the ladder and to the room that seemed to be the living room of the house, everyone (including the children and those who had been helping me warn people before) had started acting like nothing was wrong and everything was normal. By this time, the smoke was so thick I couldn't see or breathe very well. My eyes were stinging and I was struggling to find the door. When I finally got the door open, no one would follow me out.
After I caught my breath and could see again, I looked up and saw another house burning down. I ran across the street, flung the front door open, and a thick smoke poured out. I called out, "Is anyone in here?!" At first nobody answered, but then I heard someone faintly answer, "Is anyone there?!" I ran inside to find a man, his wife, and their two children standing on a staircase. His wife quickly explained that they were blinded by all the smoke and couldn't find their way out. It was dark, but I was able to see well enough to guide them out to safety. When we had made it outside, they explained that they had been praying to God to send someone to help them, because the smoke was so strong they couldn't find the door. At this point my dream ended, and I woke up very glad that there was not a real fire!
In this dream, the spiritual danger seemed so plainly clear, and the worldly distractions seemed so unappealing to me. God has used this dream many times to remind me that I need to always be aware of the spiritual things going on around me. If you woke up to find your house on fire, your first reaction would probably be to get yourself and your family out of danger. If they ignored the warning, out of love, you would probably become very concerned for their lives. God has also used this to teach me that I don't have enough love for the people around me. If I really loved the people around me, I would be adamantly concerned about their souls and I wouldn't hesitate to share the truth that God has mercifully given me.
"Therefore, forsake the world, and save your souls; for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?..." Matthew 16:29
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