Don’t Die Without a Few Scars

I cannot get his precious face—and his story—out of my mind. It was one of those priceless moments for me where I knew I was in just the right place at just the right time, many hundreds of miles away from my home, on Holy Ground, just to intersect with Justin.

It was a hot and dusty afternoon at Burning Man, a desert arts festival in Black Rock City, Nevada. I was sitting in my ‘reading room’, a small, tented area that was part of our Encounters Camp (more about that in another blog), and Justin and his girlfriend walked in, sat down, and asked for a dream interpretation, which was one of the offerings on that week’s menu (see photo).

As I listened to his very long dream, I couldn’t help but notice the scars. A tangled mess of them. All over his arms, chest, and torso. His body revealed a lot of pain that took the form of cutting himself. Across his chest was a tattoo that read, “Don’t die without a few scars”—an obviously important mantra in his life, boldly displaying explanation to a startling sight.

HIs dream was a disturbing one, with complicated levels, lots of details to sort through. But basically, it depicted the same cycle repeated: a wound, a struggle, then destruction. It happened over and over again, and the dream ended with his violent death.

As he told his dream story, I saw his distraught heart that was ready to give up on life. He seriously was wondering if he was near the end, if the only way out of his intolerable, unending pain was to go ahead and die. And he thought that maybe his dream was confirming the inevitable.

But Truth met him in this desert.

I told him that his dream meant that he had experienced cycles of wounding and destruction and pain for years, probably for generations in his family, that had never been healed or resolved. That painful cycle was dying a violent death that day.

Not his breath, not his life, but THE DESTRUCTION LIE…ENDS…TODAY.

He broke. The powerful, truthful punch of a dream interpretation brought life-changing hope into his world suddenly and violently.

The mother warrior in me rose up into action. I began hearing in my spirit promises and encouragement from Creator and I spoke them out. The waves of loving affirmations went deep. I watched transformation take place in his heart, and it registered on his face.

Goodness became his reality that day.

He dared to believe it. He wept and let go of his old identity that was a trail of destruction and a mass of scars, and he reached out that day to embrace a new reality and perspective of himself that would change the course of his life forever.

Such a bold young man. So brave. I pray he will take those old scars and live his destiny to the fullest, making up for lost time and paving the way for others to find freedom behind him. I will never forget him. His sweetness changed me forever.

This is why I do dream interpretation and go into places that most people consider weird or risky—it is more than a passing fancy or a hobby. I was born to do this!

I get to meet people like Justin, who highlight to me the highest importance of reaching out to affirm priceless SIGNIFICANCE in each other.

Dreams are given to change lives. Justin’s dream was just another example of so many that I witness—given to pull people out of their despair and point them into their Destiny!