Think Again!

Chapter 1: The US Government Will Do That • 21

One early morning I had a dream that Cathy wanted a cold washcloth for her forehead. So I walked to the sink, soaked a washcloth with cold water, and returned to present it to my dear wife. In my dream, she hadn’t asked me to wring it out first, so as I quietly said, “Here’s the washcloth you wanted,” ice-cold drops of water fell on her face. She quickly whacked it out of my hand, sending it flying across the room exclaiming, “What are you doing?!” Feeling wounded by her ungrateful attitude, I said, “I brought you the cold washcloth you asked for.” Wiping water from her face, she said, “You’re dreaming again. Get that thing away from me and go back to bed.” My favorite stress-dream story comes in the historical context of the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. It was a big news story at the time, and captured much of my attention. One night, I bolted up in bed and said, “Oh no!!!!” Concerned there was an intruder or some kind of emergency, Cathy exclaimed, “What’s wrong?” I said, “If they confirm Clarence Thomas, I’ll have to put him on the payroll!” After enduring several years of my annoying dreams, Cathy had learned how to handle the situation. She calmly said, “You don’t need to do that Don, the US government will handle that for you.” Relieved by her words, I said, “Oh good” and went back to sleep. Feelings Unconnected to Reality Not everyone has amusing and embarrassing stories like mine, but there is a fundamental element that we all share as humans. All of us are subjected to thoughts and feelings that have no connection to reality. Our enemy the devil constantly bombards us with confusing messages that are disconnected from God’s truth. He lies, deceives, and distorts so that we might live in confusion and distraction.

Like my stress dreams, the enemy’s lies can seem real and based on sound experience. I really thought there was a snake in the