It has been way too long since I have been here, so forgive me. I awoke from a dream this morning with a strong message that I knew I had to share.  In the dream, I encountered a woman who was very angry.  She had a bad attitude, she was rude, in fact, she was downright mean.  I cannot recall what the woman had done to me, but I remember that we ended up in an intense argument. Perhaps it was more than an argument.  It was a struggle.  Objects were being thrown, and the people around us seemed panic-stricken.  We had upset the entire environment. Whatever had happened, I felt victimized.  I felt that the woman was the aggressor.  She was the problem. Poised to continue fighting, I yelled at her, “What is wrong with you?  What is your problem?!” That is when things changed.

There are many people who are just like the woman in my dream.  We work with them.  We go to school with them.  We hang out with them.  We go to church with them.  We live with them.  We are them.  These people always seem to be angry for no good reason.  They are hot-tempered and ready to blow-up at any given moment for any little thing.  These people are mean.  They are spiteful, vengeful, and hateful.  These people are sad and depressed. They are unhappy and they seem to do things just to make others unhappy. And I was angry.  I was tired of this woman’s seemingly unnecessary behavior. But, in the dream, as I was yelling at the woman who I believed had victimized me, I had a moment of clarity. “What is wrong with you?  What is your problem?!”

“You are mad, but I haven’t done anything to you! You need to deal with what is really going on.  You are mad about those unspoken things.  You are angry because of what happened to you long ago and you need to deal with that thing.”  You see, many people have a “that thing” in their lives.  It is “that thing” that keeps them stuck in the same place (spiritual, mental, physical and/or emotional) for years on end. Every time they begin to enjoy life, “that thing” rears its ugly head and drags them back down. It is the family secret, the unspoken, the shameful situation, the abusive other, the silence that hovers over them and darkens their lives daily.  It is “that thing” that keeps them from knowing that they are a wonderfully and beautifully made person of value who is deserving of the best that this life has to offer.

And I understood. “You are angry because nobody caught you.”

You were fragile, and they let you fall.  Now, you feel broken, and rather than dealing with the brokenness, you try to fix yourself with anger, attitude, bitterness, sorrow, perpetual sadness, and other behaviors that are worsening your situation. Well, you don’t have to hide anymore.  Come out, come out from wherever you are.  I’m calling the real you. I understand.  Someone failed to catch you even though you cried out. They did not catch you when your mother was abusing you.  They did not catch you when cousin so-and-so was touching you in all of the wrong places.  They did not catch you when your father walked out on you. They did not catch you when you were being hit and knocked around. They did not catch you when people were talking about you, calling you ugly, and putting you down. Yes, some tried to reach out, but their grasp wasn’t strong enough, and you slipped right through their fingers.  Nobody caught you then, and you have been suffering ever since.

Well, I have come to serve you notice that you have been caught! Yes, my beloved.  You have been caught by an unfailing hand. You do not have to hide behind anger, attitude, frustration, or fear anymore.  You do not have to pretend that you are so tough and that nothing bothers you.  You do not have to cry in secret anymore.  You have been caught! Feel the warm embrace of unfailing love and everlasting understanding.  Now, you can let the real you stand up and be recognized. Don’t let “that thing” keep you from your next thing, which just may be your best thing!

Come out, come out from wherever you are. You are caught! Now, come on.  Let’s get free.