Dreams
Part 1
The army had a garden behind the barracks. Everyone had to take turns. You ate, you worked. This is where Kol found Kessa; on her hands and knees pulling weeds.
Wild thoughts went through his head seeing her like this. ‘If only!’ He thought.
After watching her for a few minutes, he walked over, tapping her hat. “Where did you get that?”
She rose up. At first she was annoyed. But when she realized it was him, that feeling vanished. As she started to get up, he got down on his knees. “What brings you my way, my king?”
He pointed at her head and smiled. “You first.”
It was a straw hat with a very wide brim. Kol hadn’t been in the garden since he was a young man. “We encourage you to wear these when you’re working. It helps keep the sun out of your eyes and off your neck.”
“Since when?”
She thought for a minute, “well I guess since you left, my king.”
He took her’s off her head rolling it around and turning it over. “This would have been very nice. How do I look?” He smiled, modeling the hat for her.
She laughed, “like you’re ready to work, my king.”
“We can work and talk.”
She motioned toward the barracks. A young man brought out a hat and a pair of gloves for Kol. “We didn’t have these either.” He commented as he put them on.
Kessa took the newly arrived hat. “What would you like to talk about, my king?”
“You have reminded me that God talks to us but that we don’t always listen.” He stepped over to the other side of the row she was weeding so that he was facing her.
“Yes.”
“How do you feel about dreams?”
“As communication from God? Joseph is a strong example.” Genesis 37
“What about for you?”
“When my world is quiet, I hear more. I have to make the noise go away. Some times the only place I can do that is in a prayer closet. Any place you can commune with God.” She held up a hand full of weeds. “Here in the garden. Calm heart. Calm mind.” Matthew 6:6
“Why would he choose dreams?”
“Why not? Maybe it is the only time you are truly still?”
“How many times have we been to worship? I don’t recall Priest Solomon ever going into great detail about dreams. I know I’ve heard the passages read. He’s never really spoken about the dreaming part of it.”
She stood. He was a little shocked. Then he realized they had arrived at the end of a row. “More?” She pointed to the next one.
He got up, going around to the next row. There was a sudden realization; “you didn’t speak to me first.”
She blushed, “deep in thought.”
“God was talking to you?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” He questioned. “You make it sound so point in fact. Direct. Much like this conversation.”
“It is. But my feeble mind sometimes needs time to catch up, process.” They moved down the row in silence.
“Is it overwhelming?” He broke the silence.
“Sometimes. We are human. We tend to fight against God. We feel like a task is too difficult. His direction is not the direction we want to go. We’re scared. Our excuses to God are endless.”
“What if he’s answered a prayer?”
Kessa was lost. “My king?”
“Has God ever answered a prayer for you but the answer was (in hindsight) more painful than what you were going through at the time?”
Suddenly, it felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. Her reply was not quick. It took energy not to break down sobbing. If she cried now, would he be able to tell the difference between sweat and tears? She said a silent prayer for God to guide her words so that she didn’t give away her true emotional state.
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