A Dream Worth Remembering!

          I spent the past week on Hilton Head Island, SC. During the last night of my visit, I had a dream, one that I actually remembered (very unusual for me!). As I do every week, much of my “thinking” time on this island was spent mulling over the text for today’s message, the one I would preach at Grace Christian Fellowship. The following is a summary of my dream:

I was in this very large crowd of people, actually a throng of people, who were making their way to the sanctuary of a large church for the Sunday morning service. Out of nowhere, someone walked up to me and pulled me aside, telling me that they needed me to preach (I do not know what had happened to the scheduled preacher, so don’t ask me). The man was very apologetic about giving me such short notice, but I assured him that I did not mind, while thinking, “This is like throwing Br’er Rabbit into the briar patch!”  Soon someone was putting a mike on my lapel. From my perspective, the air was thick with excitement. It was obvious that the people really wanted to be there!

The next scene quickly came into my view. I was standing on the platform, about to begin my sermon when, for reasons completely unknown to me, I said, “How many of you ladies like to dance?” Most of them raised their hands. 

I then asked, “How many of you would like to dance with the best dancer on the planet?” Not as many hands were raised! 

I then asked those whose hands were still raised, “Are you sure, as this man dances perfectly?” I could almost see the “second thoughts” they were having, as many of them lowered their hands. 

Then I asked those who were left, “How many of you want to dance with this dancer right now, in front of this huge audience?” I had to look very carefully to find those whose hands were yet raised.

After a careful look, I walked over and took one of the ladies (she was drop-dead gorgeous!) by the hand,  as if I were the “perfect” dancer, and asked, “May I have this . . .” But before I could say “dance,” I vanished from the scene and Jesus took my place, holding the ladies hand, and placing His arm on her shoulder.

I don’t think I will ever forget that scene, nor will I ever forget the look on her face! The music was incredibly beautiful, but the silence was deafening! Her face said, in unmistakable terms, “I have made a terrible mistake! This man will notice every mistake I make and I will be humiliated. Why in the wide-world did I agree to do this? I will humiliate Him! I wish I could drop through the floor!”

Even so, as the music continued, Jesus swept her up in His arms and danced with her the most beautiful dance I have ever seen. Yes, she made every mistake that could have been made, but it was as if He never even noticed. If He did, it was obvious that she certainly could not tell it. He just kept dancing with her and the more they danced, the more she realized that His focus was on her, not on the mistakes she was making. It seemed that, at least in His eyes, she could not make a mistake. He, obviously, was rejoicing in her, not in her mistakes!

And the dream ended. I looked at my watch. It was exactly 6:30 AM, Saturday morning, April 2, 2011.

          It was in that instant that I realized what the text for today is really about, at least for me. I have known for years that the Christian life is about dancing with Jesus, but I saw in this dream that He was not so much interested in teaching this beautiful lady how to dance, as He was in teaching her how to love—never even noticing when she did it wrong, certainly not “rejoicing in her mistakes”! 

          By the way, this was my text for today: “. . . love does not take into account a wrong suffered” (1 Corinthians 13:5b NASB).

Some of the other versions of the Bible have this to say:

Love never even notices when another does it wrong (Living Bible).

Love keeps no records of wrongs (NIV).

Love does not rejoice in iniquity (KJV).

Love takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong] (AMP).

Love does not keep score of the sins of others (The Message).

          Just for the record: God uses the Law, not to teach us how to be righteous, but to teach us how to love, which is the fulfillment of the Law. He does this by refusing to “notice” when we do it wrong! He can do this because Jesus was the Perfect Sacrifice (Dancer!). As the result, our sin-record has been canceled and nailed to the cross!

“If Thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand” (Psalm 130:3 NASB).

         

"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (John 6:29 NASB).