"Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"
Matthew 6:27 (NKJV).
A few mornings ago, I had a dream I will not soon forget. In my dream, I was standing on the front end of a long ocean pier while watching ocean waves roll under foot. By my side, stood a teenager from my church congregation. Next to him, were a few other people I wasn't well acquainted with.
Within minutes of watching the waves crash against the shore and deep in conversation, I noticed that the portion of the pier we stood on had detached from the rest of the pier and we had begun to drift. Somehow, I still felt at peace, as though we were simply bobbing up and down on the porch of a houseboat. So, the young man continued our conversation.
Then, all of a sudden the waves increased in size. And, a tall and overbearing wave crashed violently against the front of the pier. Its force tossed a woman in our company into the water. I helplessly watched as her long black hair sank in the water below. As she barely kept her head above water, she reached one arm out of the water to signal for help. Against my normal character, I hesitated in assisting her and began to worry instead.
Next, several men wearing long, off-white linen robes with maroon and white striped sashes over their heads and across their shoulders, floated across the water to where I stood. The men stood in a long row, spanning out to the right of the front of the pier. I could only make out the face of the one man who had long, white hair and a white beard and who stood directly in front of me. He had positioned himself between me and the oncoming, enormous wave.
The young man immediately to my left, grabbed my hand and screamed with delight, "Oh my Gosh, do you know who that is? Do you know who that is?" From his reaction and my own inner childlike excitement, I was certain that the person standing directly in front of me was Abraham from the bible. Like a child who needs confirmation that man was real, and without consideration, I stretched out my right hand and laid it on his left shoulder. Immediately, the man turned around, pointed his long finger directly at my heart and said in an unforgettable tone, "Inch by inch our Souls!"
Then I woke up from the dream. I felt confused. Abraham's tone and words smoldered in my heart. I was curious to discover more about this father of religion. Perhaps scripture would confirm what I had dreamed. I went to my writing station and grabbed my bible. As the pages fell open and started to settle, confusion turned to shame. I started to feel as though I had just been chastized for a lack of indisputable faith. What did Abraham mean when he said, "In by Inch Our Souls?" Gradually, the pages settled on Matthew 6:27. I began to read, "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?" (NKJV).
Needing further explanation, I then read commentary on the verse. In Albert Barnes [1834], explanation, he first noted the size of a cubit. He said, "The cubit of the Scriptures is not far from 22 inches." Then, he added that the terms of "length" are often applied to life. I started to believe that I was being told not to worry because worrying wouldn't add a single minute to my life here on earth.
I felt my shoulders slump forward as I started to weep. I had been worrying about money for awhile. I had conducted online job searches and been checking sales records for the book the Lord led me to write. Now I was feeling foolish. Why had I worried so.
Later that day, for some reason unknown to me at the time, I felt compelled to attend mass at a Catholic Church. I hadn't been to a Catholic service in approximately three years. Yet, I knew I had to attend. Oddly enough, I felt comfortable just walking in the door. Perhaps it was all of those years I spent in the rectory or up in that balcony preparing to sing to the Lord that allowed to me feel at ease.
After mass, I approached the Priest who led the service. I told him, "Father, I have a doosey for you." He said, "Okay..." I told him my testimony and then said, "Why would I have a dream about Abraham?" He smiled and said, "I am not going to touch that!" We laughed and began to exchange pleasantries. I was drawn in by his humility. He said, "We never stop learning about God." Then, he offered a piece of advice. He said, "If your conconscience is clear, there is no need to worry." How could he have known? I hadn't told him about the scripture God led me to ponder earlier the same morning. We said "goodbye" and I quietly smiled as I walked to my car.
Later that night, I decided to watch a little television before bedtime. I turned on TBN and noticed that the movie "King of Kings" was playing. The movie was more than halfway over, so I flipped through the channels to see what else was on. Soon, I found myself watching TBN again. Just at the moment I returned to the movie, Jesus started to speak to the people. I chuckled out loud, and looked up towards the heavens when I realized Jesus was speaking the words of Matthew chapter six. Then, Jesus said, "Which of you by worrying can add one inch to his life?" Under my breath, I said, "Okay Lord, I understand. I'm Sorry. From now on, I'll put all of my trust in You!"
Perhaps the Lord was offering me a gift through the dream I had. I realize now, that worrying is useless. Because I have surrendered my life into the Lord's hands, I know now, I must learn trust Him.
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