That depends on your definition of “lost”…

After crisscrossing our third different checkpoint along the US/Canadian border in under two hours, the immigration officer asked me, “Are you guys lost?” I smiled sweetly and assured him that was certainly not the case. “Oh no, sir. We’re definitely not lost! We just don’t know where we are in relationship to where we want to be.”

So we continued along our “scenic route” and eventually found ourselves where we did want to be. But the not knowing what we were doing or where we were going added to the fun of the experience! I was with my brother Josh, and a friend or two were along for the ride as well. We just laughed and were having a great time! We were having an adventure.

Two are better than one (Eccl. 4:9)

But as much as I love having adventures, if I’d been in the exact same situation all by myself, it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun.

Driving around in the dark at night not knowing where I was going all alone? Not so cool! But as it was, with friends and family, it was a blast.

I’ve traveled by plane, train and automobile. By camel, parachute, rickshaw and bicycle built for two. If there’s a mode of transportation, I’ve probably tried it. If there’s an inhabited continent, I’ve definitely visited it. I love exploring new places and my favorite thing is going where I’ve never been.

The thing is though, I always go with someone.

Whether it’s a girlfriend, a group of friends, my brother, or my husband – it’s always much better than going it alone. Situations like I just described, that all by myself could be stressful or frustrating or scary, are all at once enjoyable and happy memories-in-the-making.

It just all depends on who I’m with.

A Dream of High School

Awhile back I’d been considering how I could explain the spirit realm as a fun, safe place that’s wide open for great adventures. It’s not foreign or scary, it’s home! In that setting, I had a dream.

In the dream, I went to high school. I didn’t know my way around, had no idea what to do. But as soon as I arrived, I found four old girlfriends that I’d known from a church I used to attend who quickly befriended me again. They were so excited to see me! They chatted with me and when the bell rang, they all took it upon themselves to help me get the right textbooks and escort me to the right classroom. They took me under their wing and made sure I was okay and that made all the difference so I wasn’t freaking out. It was great!

What’s it to you?

Now, here’s an important thing for you to know. And this is why when we teach on dream interpretation we really encourage you not to use a dream symbol dictionary, because dream symbols are simply not one-size-fits-all. Let me explain.

For most of you reading this, I imagine the idea of high school brings back memories. Whether fond memories or bad memories, it’s a place you remember being, right?

Well that’s not the case for me. Having been homeschooled my whole life, I’ve actually spent more time studying Mandarin at a university in Northeast China than I’ve ever spent in any high school in the U.S.

Point being, whatever high school may represent to you, I guarantee it doesn’t represent that to me. High school to me is a very foreign place. It’s a place I’ve never been, I’m totally unfamiliar with, and really only know what to do there based on what I’ve seen in movies or on TV. It’s just not part of my world.

So when I dreamt of this, I immediately knew it was an answer to my heart’s question about how to present the spirit realm as a thoroughly friendly, though understandably “foreign” place. I understand that people may not have a lot of experience hanging out there, just like I don’t have a lot of experience hanging out in high school.

The other reason it’s the perfect picture of the spirit realm is because it’s a “school of the spirit”. High school is like an above school. We’re supposed to set our minds on things above. And above is up. It’s not down low; it’s high. So it’s high school.

Our heavenly friends

Even if we feel the supernatural realm an unfamiliar place that we’re not sure what to do in, don’t worry – we have friends there! The girlfriends I met there were from a church called Resurrection Life Fellowship, and for this dream, the emphasis was definitely on the Fellowship. The friendship. It was their relationship with me that made all the difference. That transformed the potentially stressful environment into something that felt altogether navigable and safe.

For me, those friends represented my angels (I told you they took me under their wing!). They escort me and help me figure out what’s going on in the spirit. Even though it might be new and unfamiliar to me, they know their way around. So I just stick with them and it’s all good.

Same with you. Maybe you’re not totally there yet with your angelic friends, but I’m sure you’re tight with God. You’re close friends with Jesus. You work with Holy Spirit all the time. You know these Guys! They’re your family and you can trust them.

The spirit is their hometown and they’re more than happy to show you around! It’s their pleasure to help you get the lay of the land, to make sure you get a good feel for the place. They are spirits and they very much want to share their home, the spirit realm, with you.

Kid stuff?

And I don’t know if sometimes we think we’re supposed to be grown up sons and daughters of God so maybe we should be able to figure this out on our own, if we’re really mature.

While it’s important to be mature in Christ, here’s the thing about that. My parents live in Florida and I live in New York. When I go visit them, even though I’m a mature adult, they’re still not going to just hand me a map at the airport and say, “Okay, you’re on your own! Dinner’s at 6:00, so try to find your way to our house by then. Good luck!”

Of course that’s not how it works. Regardless of a person’s age or maturity level, when you go visit someone in their neck of the woods, they take you around. They show you some hospitality. They don’t just abandon you to your own devices.

Our European friends

Leo and I visited Estonia a few years back and my father has an awesome friend there with an incredibly effective drug and alcohol rehabilitation ministry, Village of Hope.

Mart and Alta Vahi

Bishop Mart Vahi proudly tells people he’s taught Communion with God more than anyone else in the world besides my dad!

When we went to Tallinn, Mart and his fabulous wife Alta met up with us there. They took us all around so we could catch a glimpse of the best views of the city. They shared their delicious food with us. They told us amazing stories of what God’s been up to in their part of the world. And they introduced us to some of their lovely friends who lived there as well.

So even though it was a totally foreign place to us, we didn’t speak the language, we couldn’t read the street signs, we felt totally safe. Literally zero stress, because they were taking care of us. They were graciously sharing their lives and their world with us. They were hosting us beautifully in every sense of the word.

The Consummate Host

And so it is with God. He is the consummate Host. He invites us into His world when He says, “Live in the spirit. Worship in spirit. Walk in the spirit. I am Spirit, this is My home, come join Me here! You are spirit, you are created in My image. This is your home too!”

And we go there, and it’s awesome. It’s not scary. It’s not stressful, because He’s right there. He’s taking us around. He’s showing off the glory of His kingdom. He’s sharing His life and His world with us. This pleases Him greatly! He is most happy to do this.

We can trust Him to have the gift of hospitality and believe that He’ll take good care of us when we visit. There’s no safer place to be than the presence of Jesus. And He is nowhere more fully expressed and perfectly known than in His realm, the spirit.

Living into heaven

It’s not so much where we’re going, as who we’re going with.

We’re going with our friend, Holy Spirit. We’re going with our fiancé, Jesus. We’re going with our Daddy God. Not to mention all our angels!

So we’re good to go. We have nothing to worry about. Living in the spirit is what we want to do. This is where we want to be. We go there often. We spend lots of time. We’re transformed into His image. And then we bring His presence and the very atmosphere of heaven back with us when we come.

Indeed, that is how it can be on earth as it is in heaven.

Photo credits
“Welcome Home” image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net