Treading Water

I had a dream last night about myself and some other friends (or family members) and Heather (who was only 8 or 9 years old) swimming in a pool of water in a large cavern.  We had jumped in, with no thought of how we were going to get out.  And so, we either clung on to the very steep cliff wall or spent a very long time treading water. We had no life jackets, so we were there on our own energy.  Heather was the first to break away from the wall and went "upstream" and found she could touch the bottom.  I followed her, but the others stayed behind. 

A little further up, there was a deep crevice and Heather fell into it.  I was afraid she was going to drown, but she swam to the side where it was shallow...and then I woke up!

I have contemplated all day about the meaning of this dream.  And I started piecing it together with some of our recent experiences--financial, spiritual, and physical. We have recently experienced some severe setback with our financial future.  Dean lost his job and we were found ourselves learning how to live on two Social Security checks.  He did manage to acquire a part-time job with a local Independent Pharmacist, which helped to bring in a bit more each month.  All in all, we have been "treading water."  We didn't jump into this situation.  We were more or less pushed into it.

Through these experiences and the fact that our son has struggled through some trials of is own, our spiritual strength is waning.  Yes, we are "treading water" here, too.

When you have these kinds of stresses in your life, they play havoc on your physical health.  I battle depression, while Dean battles skin outbreaks and sciatic pain.  These are not the kinds of things that help us to battle the outcome of this situation.  It is a vicious circle and we tire while "treading water" 

Prayer and Faith are our "life jackets!"  The only recourse we have to avoid drowning in a pool of financial setbacks, low spiritual esteem, and physical ailments, is prayer.  Prayer is the key!  In my dream, my waking up was my salvation.  In our lives, waking up to what we need to do to fix our situation and move on to new experiences will be our salvation.

You may find yourselves in similar circumstances, though your experiences will be different.  I pray  your wake up signs will be forthcoming soon.  Don't just sit there and "tread water,"  Get busy and do something!  Pray and then Act.