A Life In Ruins

“Nebuchadnezzar had dreamt he saw a huge statue standing before him…made of shining metal with a head of gold and fragile feet made of glazed china mixed with iron to represent a top-heavy figure, liable to fall to ruins.”

This is one of the dreams King Neb, as I like to call him, had that troubled him.  Having recently taken the throne after his father’s death, the usually very confident King Neb was a little off his game.   In an age of mysticism and a place people often looked to God or gods for wisdom, King Neb was beside himself with the need for understanding the dream. 

Out of everybody in the Babylonian Empire, Daniel was called upon to interpret the dream.  It was a big-time gig to say the least, more on that later.  This particular dream included a statue comprised of precious metals and meant that King Neb would have a prominent place in time, but that it would come to an end at the hands of a greater kingdom. 

C.G. Jung writes in Man and his Symbols, “People who have unrealistic ideas or too high an opinion of themselves, or who make grandiose plans out of proportion to their real capacities, have dreams of flying or falling.”

I can’t remember the last time I had a dream where I was flying or falling, but I know I have had plenty of them.  Whether Jung is accurate in his theory of “flying dreams,” it is worth noting.   Do you ever feel like your life is out of control, perhaps even in ruins? 

I found a similar story the other day that brought some perspective.  A man was talking to his friends about how to build a house with a good foundation.  Lay the bricks this way, pour the cement this thick, nail the studs with this angle instead of that.  He then told them if you listen to these instructions but don’t actually apply them, surely your home will fall to ruins.  But of course, I thought to myself.

The man, who was known to be a great carpenter, knew the importance of having a solid foundation.  You may build something nice and pretty above that foundation, but what about deep beneath the dirt?  What’s buried beneath the dirt in your life?  Is it a strong foundation that you can keep building on, or is it a shaky foundation because you didn’t listen to the directions given?

I’m going to start building upon my foundation again.  I may have tried to take some shortcuts.  Oh yeah, the carpenter’s name was Jesus. Some know him as Jesus the Christ.  May you be encouraged today as you build, and don’t forget to follow through with the instructions!