Dreaming of my own classroom

Last night I was trying to be still and listen to God after laying my heart on the table. I felt like I had more to give to Him, but after a while, sooner than I thought, I was just quiet. How can I truly be quiet, and listen to what God has to say to me? Just to push out ever thought, and let God fill my thoughts. Dare I say audibly hear Him speak, how glorious that would be. So as I'm looking for direction in my life, trying to figure out what specifically I'm to do, I eventually went to bed, falling fast asleep trying to listen, as a few thoughts of what it meant to be a spiritual leader for a family entered my mind.

I awoke this morning a little after 8 to venture to my bathroom. I realized I was thinking about the dream I had just awoke from, a dream about having my own high school art classroom. I was taking over someones class who had left in a hurry, or so it felt like or how I understood it to be. It was like I just showed up and it was mine. I did not have any syllabi for my students, which I felt slightly unprepared by, and that I perhaps let them down. I collected my thoughts, and realized that I needed to set classroom rules, not for them but with them.

I go to the marker board, which someone had left completely messy, with smudges all over it. I looked down at the markers, and most of the ones I found had dry erase lids on regular crayola markers. I even marked on the board with one before I realized it, and was afraid it wouldn't erase, but it did. Finally I found a clean, white area to start writing rules, and with the correct marker. There were only a few students in this first class of mine. One of which I remember from when I was student teaching. She had her cellphone out in this dream, and I gave her my "teacher" look and she smiled and put it away. I think I might have even said that I didn't want to take the phone from her.

I then started to ask my students what they thought our classroom rules should be, and to my surprise I felt like they honestly didn't know right off. I vaguely remember a student trying to explain what he thought the first one should be. I do remember summing up what he was trying to say with how we should respect each other, or something along the lines with "respect" apart of it. I remember going on to the next question after I had written respect on the board. With this rule I don't remember right off what it was, but it ended up being time for class to change as my students got up and started to leave. I told them I would have their syllabi for them tomorrow, and through this I felt warm, and happy or content inside.

I then had to find the restroom in this school. The hallway really seemed like some kind of maze more or less. I managed to find the women's restroom of which I walked in on accident, with no awkwardness or screams, just a quick apology from me as I stepped back out only then to notice the sign. I go on my way, through this twisted hallway of sorts, with different doors and corners, not really a straight hallway at all. I end up not finding the restroom, and I make it back into my classroom with more students waiting on me. (Wow, as I just typed waiting on me, it seemed to make me really stop and think of how students could be waiting on me right now to teach them, or perhaps a family..hmm)

This time it was like my classroom was divided up by some garage door in the middle. I asked one of my students who the other class sharing the room was, and they said it was how the hold teacher did it, and would take on the other classroom as well with his. Oddly enough, the other class was termed as the manure class in this dream. Why, I am unaware of yet. I remember going to the garage door that just kind of hung there, and I pushed it up, rolling,  and out of the way to join these two classes together, making them one, and both fully mine. It's like I just took ownership of them. The word adopted also comes into mind now. This word, adoption, has been coming up in my life a lot lately it seems. Trying to figure that one out. I'm not opposed to it by no means at all, I'm just trying to figure out what I'm supposed to think about it and under what context.

Now that the room has been merged together, there I stand in the middle of the classroom before them in khakis and a collar shirt, and tie. I ask them where the restroom is, and I think one of them tells me. At this point I wake up and go to my own bathroom and upon walking in it hits me that I was thinking about the dream I just awoke from, and that perhaps this is where God is giving me my direction being an art teacher and doing art. I graduated with a degree to teach it, I still need to be certified so I can. I just need to save a lot harder for it. I didn't give up on teaching, but perhaps this dream is the refresher I needed to continue pursuing it with a stronger passion than before, for Him and for my future students.

On a side note, the classroom that I was just given was not decorated at all, and the ceiling was just metal rafters with the roof or next floor above them. It seemed a bit junky you could say. My thoughts or interpretation of this dream goes along the lines of this. Perhaps just like the marker board and markers, I can breathe some life into it and put it in order. Most importantly, pouring into the lives of so many students who are eager for a father figure (if that doesn't sound too crazy to say), a positive influence, and the love of God.

When I awoke thinking about this, I felt so at peace, and just happy. Though I was half asleep, it was still a great feeling. Lord, I hope this is your direction for me. I don't see anything wrong with this dream, or that would be unpleasing to you. Continue to show me your direction, and if this is how you'll speak to me, through dreams, make it so on a more regular basis and allow me to stop and listen to you with a clear mind, open and willing heart, and an unending love for you. Thanks God! Can the next dream be about finding a future wife please?

Your son,
Jason