Rodriguez: Pray more, worry less

I had a dream not long ago. I was an old lady climbing a flight of stairs stretching up to the sky. As I neared the top, I was losing strength. My load was heavy. I wasn’t sure I could make it.

Finally, I swung the heavy bag from across my shoulders and onto that second-to-the-last step … and then I woke up.

As I woke up, I sat straight up in bed; the dream was fresh in my mind. When I wake up from a memorable dream like this one, I usually lie frozen in bed, pondering it or trying to reconstruct it. But this time, something made me bolt straight up.

The thought immediately ran through my head, “Store your treasures in heaven.” I was also filled with a comforting thought. Perhaps I will live to an old age.

“… But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

I visited with a lady recently who had shared a spiritual experience with me. She had been experiencing financial hardships and while praying she heard a loud and clear voice telling her, “Sell it all!” She had been agonizing over a tough decision, and now she felt that she was being given clear directions on what to do. She obeyed.

Unlike Lot’s wife in the Bible, who turned back around and was turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19: 26), this woman did not look back and she and her husband never second guessed their decision to sell it all.

Recently, I had to face a similar, agonizing decision. It wasn’t the first time. I have had to start over several times. The first two times were hard. This last time was not. I did not look back.

You’ve probably been there before, making a tough decision: sleepless nights, moodiness. Trying to pray more and worry less, and then, finally, doing what you know you have to do.

But the strange thing this time — or maybe it wasn’t so strange, just new to me — was how everything started to fall into place.

When I did what I had to do, I woke up the next morning having gotten the best night’s sleep in a long time, and then I smiled. That little voice in me had been right.

Helena Rodriguez is a Portales native. Contact her at:

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