For years, I would wake up from a recurring dream of someone, or something, chasing me. I would barely get away each time by jumping over fences and defying gravity, in many cases, by flying. But, it would always feel as though every fiber of my being was struggling to get away from this unknown enemy.

Sometimes I would wake-up unable to move, mentally paralyzed and fearful to go back to sleep. Then, I learned from a good friend about dream interpretation. She gave me a book that provided information on how you can sometimes control your dreams. You can program yourself to confront the thing that’s causing you trauma. So once I understood this, I tried to implement it a few nights later.

Once again, I was struggling to get away from this beast (this time in human form). Everywhere I went, he was right behind me. So instead of continuing to run, I stopped in my tracks and, to my surprise, so did he. I slowly turned around to confront him by asking him, “Why are you chasing me? What are you here to teach me?” And, all he said was, “Stop running from yourself”. And, with that one powerful phrase, the dream ended.

Since then, I have not suffered through chasing dreams. By completely embracing what “he” taught me, I realized that I was not on my chosen course. I was my own enemy. I created my own fear to keep from moving along the path that I needed to follow. Whenever I started moving in the right direction I would put obstacles in my own way. I made so many excuses. But not until that moment, when I confronted the “predator” in my dream, did I realize what I was doing. In essence, I was running from myself.

For many years, I struggled and fought myself to find my way. I didn’t acknowledge the value of my voice. That dream was God’s method of gently tapping me on my shoulder to say, “Get on track…and if you don’t, you won’t have peace”. Right now, it’s so comforting to know I’m on the correct path.

So, my question to you is, what is God tapping you on your shoulder about? Maybe you’re not being chased in dreams, maybe yours is a little more (or less) obvious. But, whatever it is, you probably already have a clue. You know when you feel like what you’re doing isn’t measuring up to your own standards. Maybe you had huge dreams for your life as a child, and now, in adulthood, you feel way off the mark. It’s almost as if you feel your spirit has taken a fall and doesn’t know quite how to get back up. There definitely is a way for your spirit to “get back up”, but it takes determined action.

Whether you know it or not, there is a certain expectation that God has for our lives that we may be too busy to be in touch with. Take the time to explore what might be preventing you from being on the right track and then begin correcting your path. You might be surprised to learn about the life you were meant to live.