The Ultimate Itch

            Temptation is the ultimate itch. Think about it. It’s there, harassing you. You just… You just gotta get it. Ahh there. Got it. But now look: You’ve got red, irritated scratch marks and it’s going to burn for a bit. At least it’s not itching though. Not too much later, there that itch is yet again. Incessant. Annoying. Yet somehow appealing, inviting. It feels absolutely impossible to ignore it. If you don’t appease it, it won’t go away. You might as well give in.

            But wait. It is possible to ignore the itch, but it’s so difficult. It takes a lot of willpower, and that’s a fact. Sometimes the itch comes at the most inconvenient time or place, and you have no choice but to ignore it. There are times when the urge to scratch is overwhelmingly strong and the itch is so awful you just want to scream in frustration.

            Now connect the dots back to temptation. We often scratch when we don’t want to and know we shouldn’t. It’s just like what Romans 7 says. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” (verses 15, 19-20). This is the irritating temptation to scratch that seems impossible to overlook. However, God does promise us an escape. “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). When you are tempted and you feel like the only thing to do is to satisfy it, remember this: God will relieve you of your struggle if you ask for help. It seems a lot easier said than done, but the more you learn to avoid “scratching” those tempting itches, the more you build self-control and dependence on God.  

Lamppost In A Storm (vision)

      I see you lying awake in bed. It's a dark night with clouds thickly covering the sky. After tossing and turning, you sit up with the blankets covering your legs. You are wearing a white night gown with long sleeves--the old-fashioned kind. You turn on your light--an old lamp on a bedside table. The light flickers. The wind is blowing hard outside and tree branches--empty, without leaves--scratch at the window. You slide your legs over the side of your bed and slip your feet into soft slippers. You walk to the window and look out. It's a big window--floor to celing-- and you're on the second floor of your house. You see a lamppost down the street with a flickering flame inside the glass panes of the top of the post. It begins to rain--lightly at first, then harder and harder. The light in your room goes out. Following the darkness, lightning flashes several times. The thunder rolls in many seconds later. You are not fearful in the least bit. If anything, you are intrigued and excited.
      You make your way through the dark house and down a winding, stone stairwell that leads outside. You step out into the storm as lightning strikes--thunder follows much quicker than before--yet you don't get wet from the rain. You stand below the enormous, bare tree. You circle it once, twice, three times and begin backing away. Lightning flashes and thunder claps--the lightning is getting closer. You turn around and start walking towards the lamppost. The clouds begin to pull back and the full moon shines down, illuminating your path better. As you approach the lamppost, you notice things you couldn't have seen from your bedroom window. Tree roots are sprouting from the bottom of the post and ivy grows, wrapping around the post. Instead of just one flame, the lamp has three flames in it. You stand next to the lamppost, facing your home.
      Lightning strikes the base of the tree and it it bursts into flames. You sit down at the base of the lamppost and watch the fire consume the tree. Your house remains unscathed. The wind dies down, the lightning and thunder stops, but the rain continues relentlessly. You continue to sit and watch as the flames on the tree die down. When there is hardly any fire left, you walk to the tree's remains. All that is left is a charred stump and dry roots. You shake your head out of sadness. You look to the the moon, your room, then the lamppost. You run up the stairwell, into your room, and into your closet. You pull out a wicker basket and run to the lamppost. You begin to pick off the ivy leaves and place them in your basket. As you pick the leaves, thorns and rosebuds sprout in their place (you don't touch these). When you finish picking all the ivy and your basket is full, you run to the dead tree stump.
      You spread all the ivy onto the stump. The ivy sort of melts into the stump and a new tree begins to grow. Its branches stretch as high as, if not higher than, before. Leaves sprout from these new, healthy limbs. You look to the lamppost. There is one large flame glowing from the top and all the roses are in full bloom. The rain stops and the sky is cloudless.
      Smiling to yourself, you walk to your bedroom. You sit on the edge of your bed, slide off your slippers, swing your legs onto the bed, and pull your covers up. You notice that your lamp has turned back on so you lean over, turn it off, and lay back in bed. You are asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.

My interpretation...
      First off, I'd like to point out that you and your clothes remain unchanged throughout. In all my other visions (there are much more than what I've posted), there was at least one change in at least one article of clothing or other parts of appearance. These changes represent changes in themselves--their attitude, heart, mind, etc. Your vision did not have that. Second, the white nightgown made me think of purity, simplicity, and integrity.
      You remain fearless throughout.
      I have yet to talk to you about this, and I'm sure it'll make more sense when we talk. I'll be honest: I'm kind of confused by the meaning of this.
      I can see that you will be bringing something thought dead back to life (probably on a spiritual or metaphorical level, but you never know).
      I did some research on ivy and found some interesting symbolism. Ivy is usually considered symbolic of friendship and growth. Ivy is durable and can withstand even some of the harshest conditions. It represents determination because it is virtually indestructable--it can survive and grow back even after suffering damage or being cut. Some say it is an example of human character/spirit because of the strength and ability to carry on regardless of setbacks. Ivy grows in spirals which can be seen as expansion and rebirth. This I find most interesting considering the ivy leaves bring back the dead tree.

Swimming Raft and Flower Crowns (vision)

      I see you standing on a swimming raft in a lake (see picture below: it's pretty much a wooden platform floating in a lake). The wind circles around you, blowing your hair in your face and bringing you chills. You begin to spin in circles, kind of dancing in the wind. But you are hesitant to really dance with the wind and let loose because you fear falling into the water. The wind continues to blow; gusts are getting stronger--their force is moving you about on the platform. You get dangerously close to being pushed into the water by the wind. Finally, you decide you will dive in. Rather than being forced in, you choose to (it allows you to prepare yourself for the shock of the cold water and to land properly in the water). You put your hands together over your head, lean forward, and dive into the dark water. You brace yourself for extreme cold and are surprised to find that it is not as cold as expected. You are also surprised at yourself with your lack of fear--you have no fear of drowning or other creatures in the lake, and you do not fear becoming lost in the lake.
      You swim to the shore. You shake your head and water goes flying--your hair is instantly dry, as are all your clothes, which have changed (on the platform, you had been wearing a sweatjackt and jeans with red Converse--now you are wearing a white, flowing dress and are barefoot). You sit cross-legged a ways from the shore in a patch of tiny white flowers. You pick many flowers and begin to weave yourself a crown out of these flowers. As you do this, new flowers grow rapidly in their place--bigger and bolder-colored flowers. Also, children start coming and sitting around you. They gather in a circle, all sitting-cross-legged-- just like you-- and leaning forward, heads propped on their hands, watching you intently.
      You have finished the crown you were working on and give it to one child. Then you pick more of the tiny white flowers and make more crowns. Eventually, you have made enough crowns for all the children. Each child then picks a flower--these are the newer, bigger, bolder flowers. They hand you these flowers and you weave them into a crown. You ask "Whose crown is this?: One child stands up, takes the crown from your hands, and places it on your head. All of you stand in a circle, clasp hands, and dance in a circle (something like "Ring Around the Rosy" but without the song). Once again, the wind begins to blow as you dance with the children.

My Interpretation...

      The first part reminds me of John 3:5-8,11-13. "Jesus answered, 'Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit...Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?'"

       When I read "born of water and Spirit" I think of baptism of each. Also, He says that you can't discredit the spiritual world because you can't see it--You can't see the wind, but you can feel its effects. Another aspect of the wind that is true of God: you can't see where it comes from or where it will be going.

      When you were on the swimming raft, you had to make a conscious decision to dive in and be "baptized" in a sense. Nothing could force you to do that. You had thought you were free until you say how limited you actually were on the raft.

      You emerge from the water in new clothing--you aren't your old self anymore--in a way, you are a new creation. You were wearing a white, flowing dress--what I see as a symbol of purity and honesty/integrity. The barefeet make me think of freedom. The patch of white flowers--purity, life, and growth. The children are your ministry (I know how much you already love teaching and being around kids); this vision can be an affirmation to you that you were meant for teaching kids. The children came to you and, first, imitated the way you acted, then eagerly and intently watched you. You passed on crowns to them that you put love and care into--crowns made from life, purity, and growth. In the end they gave you a crown of blessings--the flowers that had grown as a result of picking the flowers for the children's crowns. The vision ends with everyone dancing in freedom with the Spirit.