The other night I had a very interesting dream that taught me some value. I dreamed that I was attending a large conference. I wasn't unfamiliar with the presenter as I had attended many classes from him. I was however intrigued with the layout.
Normally, in a large conference you find those who are interested in the class are up front and taking notes. the ones in the back usually are just there for the treats lol. This conference was a bit different.
In the front were crowds of people, good people but they all wanted one thing. Spotlight. They wanted the attention from the presenter and they most of all wanted to be on stage. As you got to about the middle of the room there were still a lot of people these people almost seemed angry at the content. (normally what you would expect from the back of the room). Then about the last 3 rows was a different crowd. they were there to just be there learn what they could not expecting glory or grandeur, listening to be taught. Of course the sound system made it easier because otherwise they couldn't have heard through all the rest of the chaos.
The Presenter had a son. He had been prepping this son to become a presenter just like himself. He had taught him and the son had become quite proficient at presenting ideas and material to the classes he taught. He was a good son and ready to go out into the world so for his last conference under the tutelage of his father he had on last assignment. he was to sit in the back of the room, never to be called on, never to be on stage, just to sit among those in the back of the room.
The son needless to say was disappointed. this was his farewell conference and he was not going to have the opportunity to speak, tell the audience what he was doing or where he was going. He was going to be lost in a sea of people without anyone really knowing who he was.
He thought about leaving, because he figured it was pointless to stay and be at the back of the room in the middle of a bunch of nobodies. He looked at the chair his father had assigned and pondered until he decided to trust the process of one last lesson whatever it was he had no idea, but he decided to make the best of the situation and tough it out.
He sat there in the assigned chair on the front of the last section of chairs, there were only 3 rows behind him and he was in the middle of the row. For probably the first few hours of the conference he was mainly annoyed, still not understanding why he was in this situation. No one even acknowledged him for being the son of the presenter.
Then it was time for interacting with those around him. Being the obedient son he was and realizing he had an opportunity to serve, he engaged with the people around him. He found that they were kind, generous, wanting to learn and grow in every way they could. He found out that he had things in common with these people, and as he moved around the room during the activities, he found more people he could relate with on a one on one basis. by the end of the conference he had formed relationships with several people and even exchanged phone numbers and found them on social media accounts.
At the end of the conference he looked around and realized the purposed for where his father had placed him. By being at the back of the room he had a full view of all that went on in front and all that went on around and he could observe the nature of people without having to be on stage. By being in the audience he was able to serve, by being out of the spotlight, his fellow classmates could open up more and share their experiences without fear. He found that in this conference were so many different types of people and each had a value. He saw up close and personal the struggles that everyday people were going through and thoughts raced through his mind of how best he could be of service. It was probably the first conference he served at that he was not so anxious to leave.
There are people who just want the spotlight. There are people who need to be heard. There are people who just want to serve, There are people who want to be taught in whatever capacity they can. And there are people who know and understand the difference.
This dream reminded me of my Savior, he didn't seek for the spotlight, he just served. He was put in the spotlight so to speak because those he served spread his word. The spotlight for our Savior was never the goal. The goal was to serve and bless and authentically care for his fellowman while bringing them back to God. I suppose the question comes back to us. What is our goal and what is our purpose when we go out to interact or to teach our fellow man?
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