When when St. John Bosco was only nine years old, he had a dream in which he rushed into a group of children who were cursing and tried to stop their misbehavior by fighting with them. Failing to help them he looked up and saw a man clothed in white who told him that the only way to change the children was through kindness and gentleness. John resisted the message for a long as he could, but the dreams kept coming.
Though many told him to ignore his dreams and others tried to have him committed to an institution for the mentally ill, John listened and began to develop skills like juggling and and magic in order to draw young troubled young boys to God. Kindness and gentleness, he learned, were much more effective than harsh words. Eventually, his dreams, confirmed by Pope Pius IX, led him to found the Salesians who continue to minister to wayward boys all over the world.
It can be very challenging and confusing to listen to our dreams, despite the evidence we find in scripture that God often uses dreams to attract, warn and instruct us. While not every dream we have is important, some of them may be. Paying attention to our dreams and talking about them with a trusted friend or director can help us discern God's will for us.
Today, ask for God's direction.
Have you had a dream that helped you discern God's will for you?
Though many told him to ignore his dreams and others tried to have him committed to an institution for the mentally ill, John listened and began to develop skills like juggling and and magic in order to draw young troubled young boys to God. Kindness and gentleness, he learned, were much more effective than harsh words. Eventually, his dreams, confirmed by Pope Pius IX, led him to found the Salesians who continue to minister to wayward boys all over the world.
It can be very challenging and confusing to listen to our dreams, despite the evidence we find in scripture that God often uses dreams to attract, warn and instruct us. While not every dream we have is important, some of them may be. Paying attention to our dreams and talking about them with a trusted friend or director can help us discern God's will for us.
Today, ask for God's direction.
Have you had a dream that helped you discern God's will for you?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please be discreet in your comments. I will monitor the comments, and only exclude those that are patently offensive.