Goshen

I woke up from a dream with a strong sense of the word Goshen.  I know it is a place in the Bible, but don't know much about it.    So I Google it.  There are several U.S. cities named Goshen.  I like the Wikipedia description of the Land of Goshen.  It has to do with Joseph the Dreamer and his people being told to go to Goshen and wait.  It is a rich environment for them, as far as resources go.

My Google search also shows me a college in northern Indiana, liberal arts with a lot of foreign attendees.  The kind of college I would have loved if I had known it existed when I was in college.  Coincidentally my older son has recently been talking to me about going back to school so we are coming up with a list of potential schools.  This one is now on the list - although probably unrealistic because he wants to do distance learning but at least it is on the list - just in case.

False End of the World Claims

In my lifetime I have seen several false end of the world claims.  Like the California cult (Heaven's Gate, was it?) or the supposed Mayan Calendar experts who predict a day the world will end and it comes and goes with nary an earthquake.

If I am called to speak out about this date, if my platform is expanded, maybe that will be the journey I don't want to go on.  Because after other false predictions, any subsequent prediction is automatically met with a certain amount of skepticism.  In fact, if there had ever been a successful prediction then we wouldn't be here now.  I would not welcome the criticism and ridicule.  I don't mind a respectful, healthy conversation but I certainly don't want to be laughed at or spoken cruelly of.

And what if nothing happens?   What if I don't die?  Will I be let down?  No.

Because there is not an alternate universe where I can run a control group and see what would happen if I didn't receive the dream.  What if receiving the dream causes me to make different choices on that day and unknowingly save my life?  What if by staying home in the evening I avoid a fatal car crash?   These are answers which I know I'll never know.  And I'm okay with that.  Just knowing that I'm living a faithful life and trying to follow directions as best I can is enough for me.

Could it be the End of the World?

My older son texted me one day to call him one morning if I was available before he went to work.  I thought he wanted to continue the college discussion we'd been having the day before.  But he said he'd awoken early and been doing some thinking and wondered if maybe my mystery date is the day the world will end.  Or, the beginning of the end

While we've both grown up in the church his understanding of the book of Revelation is much greater than mine.  But we've both read the Left Behind series and while fully aware that it is fictionalized it is at least a frame of reference.

So am I trying to say that God has suddenly chosen me as a prophet?  Little old me without a platform to speak from except this blog?  Seems unlikely - huh?  But this is God we are talking about.  The same God who chose young little inexperienced Mary to be the mother of the Savior of the World.

So, why not me?  If God wants to expand the platform, He can do that.  It crossed my mind the other day when I tried to call KLOVE to comment on the football player who said God told him to leave the draft.  As the phone was ringing and ringing I thought that if God really wanted to draw attention to this message - the phone would be answered.  But, it wasn't.  So either He doesn't or it's just not the right time.  I'm not really going to worry about it unless I have a clear direction from God.

What to do on THE DAY

What will I do on July 12, 2017?  Assuming I'm healthy and life is as I know it today, how will I spend my potential last day?  If it were tomorrow I would plan to meet my older 2 children for lunch, someplace reasonable because if I survive the day I don't want to totally blow my diet or pocketbook. And if I don't survive then I'll be feasting on everything in Heaven from then on out so how could anything on earth possibly taste so sweet?  And why blow big bucks on sonething temporary instead of leaving a few extra dollars for my kids to inherit and buy something lasting?

After lunch I want to go home and play games with my little boy, who will be 11 then.  After a couple games I want to pop popcorn, crack open our favorite soda, and cuddle up on the sofa for a movie.

After my husband is done working we'll have a quiet dinner at home, maybe one of my favorites - Amercanized Beazilian Feijoada.  Maybe splurge a little on dessert - even though it will be Wednesday and we usually save desserts for weekends.  Then just sit quietly together and watch some TV or read.  Usually on summer nights we swim after dinner but it's not my favorite thing to do although by then the little one will be able to touch the bottom so maybe it will be more fun.

Then if it is my date of expiration I can just slip away quietly in my sleep.

And if it's not, then I'll celebrate big the next day.

Even if I had free theme park tickets, my frugal self might want to use them on the 12th before they go to waste but deep down I know those days are draining and I'd rather spend my last hours relaxed and really tuned in to each other.  If I survive we can go to the theme park the next day and celebrate. And if I don't then they can go without me and cheer themselves up with the temporary distraction.