This morning I woke up from the strangest dream…
I was visiting my good friends Kelsi and Caleb Fullmer (who are actually a family I follow on Instagram and have never, ever met in real life). I had been eating white cheddar popcorn while Kelsi gave me a tour of their home.
Her and I were laughing in the kitchen when Caleb came home and the very first thing he said was, “Why is there popcorn on the stairs??” For some reason, this was hilarious and he was also laughing. It was all quite lighthearted and fun.
All the same, my eyes darted over to Kelsi, mortified that I had dropped popcorn around the house whilst visiting these wanna-be-friends of mine. She just laughed and shrugged it off and pointed to the broom. I grabbed it and went over to the main entrance.
I started at the top step of their green marble entryway?! (never have I seen green, marble stairs like this) and carefully swept off the first step and worked my way down to the bottom collecting every last white cheddar popcorn bit I had dropped. Caleb stood nearby watching and chuckling at who knows what and then suddenly I was awake.
Now. What in the world was that and where is Laura going with this?!
Both wonderful questions, Lifespring! 😂
After bursting out laughing at this ridiculously random dream exchange with people I’ve never met for myself, my mind jumped back to Doreen’s testimony on Sunday.
Mary and Martha.
But, in this case, Kelsi and Caleb.
The Lord began to show me that Kelsi represented Mary and my exchange with her in the dream reflected a light-heartedness that made me feel free to be. Whereas Caleb represented this Martha-tendency in me. Before greeting anyone else in the house, the mess was pointed out to dream me. So often I’m noticing things that need to be fixed or tidied, rather than resting first.
It was especially interesting to me that Caleb/Martha in the dream was also laughing. It wasn’t a cruel or mean laughter, and while a mess was being pointed out at the same time, there was still a light-heartedness to that situation as well!
The Lord began to show me that when I trust the Spirit of God to point out the messes in my heart and life, there will always be a certain amount of lightness involved.
Because… “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
That means when there is a mess, especially when it’s as minimal as a little bit of popcorn to sweep up, there is freedom in the cleaning process. Practically speaking, that means there does not need to be shame or embarrassment or condemnation… that is never the way the Spirit of God brings about sanctification, or tidying up.
As we head into this weekend and as some of us deep clean our homes and prepare for summer, let’s do so with the lightness and freedom that comes from the Spirit! Let us enjoy our tasks and the work we have before us, whether it’s a Mary moment of being and receiving from Jesus, or a Martha moment of needing to practically care and help… may we do so with laughter and joy as we partner with God in these things!