Have you ever woken up from a dream with an urge to take action in your waking life? That’s what happened to me one Christmas Eve. I hope the story of my Christmas miracle dream inspires you with Christmas wonder and encourages you to pay attention to your dreams.
My gray tabby cat Linda had been missing for eight days so far by that Christmas Eve when I was a teen. All my best efforts to find my beloved cat – including contacting animal shelters, putting up neighborhood posters, and even calling radio stations – had failed. But my family and I were still praying for Linda’s return. Linda was a laid-back cat. (He didn’t even seem to mind that I had mistakenly given him a female name until a vet revealed his true gender. By that time, though, Linda was used to his name, so I kept it.) Despite Linda’s easygoing nature, he acted quite upset after my sister adopted a kitten. Shortly afterward, he ran away. More than a week after Linda’s disappearance, my Christmas Eve was far from merry. I had a Christmas Eve tradition of stargazing after dinner and church. But this year, I was so discouraged by Linda’s absence that I neglected to look at the wonder of the stars. Instead, I said a bedtime prayer that God would bring Linda back home. Then I fell into a deep sleep.
In my dream, Linda appeared on the sidewalk outside our front door. He stared hopefully up at our door, as if asking me to open it. The image of my cat sitting there under the stars, waiting, was clear and vivid. Yet I had spent every night for the past week calling Linda’s name from that same sidewalk – listening to my voice pleading, and grieving the silent response. As I watched Linda during the dream, Linda looked from our front door up to the sky. He seemed to be studying the sky like I usually did on Christmas Eve, looking for a bright star that reminded me of the Star of Bethlehem from the Christmas story. Then Linda looked back at our front door intently, like he was expecting me to open it.
Suddenly I awoke from the dream with a strong urge to go to the front door and open it. The thought of opening the door to the icy wind outside didn’t excite me, but a thought came to me with surprising strength: Try the front door. Now.
So, I walked to our home’s front door, unfastened both locks, and swung the door open. Shivering in my nightgown, I scanned the sky until the brightest silvery white dot came into view. At that moment, I knew that no matter where Linda was, or if he ever returned, God still cared for me.
I stared at the star for a moment, then reached for the door to pull it shut, looking down to the front sidewalk as I did so. And then I saw him – Linda – thin, shivering, and reeking of gasoline. He sat quietly before me. His green eyes searched mine, as if to say, “I’m sorry. Will you take me back?”
Immediately, I scooped him up. But before I closed the door, I stood with Linda in my arms to gaze once more at the stars. Then I said a prayer of thanks to the God who watches over all his creation – from the most distant star to the purring cat I held closely.
Learn more about both dreams and miracles in Wake Up to Wonder. I hope you enjoy a wonderful holiday season!