Stairway to Heaven

I had this dream a while ago and it went something like this.

~ ~ ~
There was this tall white staircase that wrapped around and around, reaching high into the clouds. Those who climbed to the top of the staircase were as close as they could get to God. In fact, it was the only way that you could be close to God while on Earth. So everyday people of all ages ran up and down, trying to get as close as they could to God.

One day I chose to climb the staircase, except the rules were different for me. I could only climb the stairs on my knees; one step at a time. The task seemed difficult and unfair, but I wanted to be close to God. I bent down and began the long journey up the stairs -on my knees. I felt weird and out of place as everyone else climbed the stairs so easily, quickly achieving the top of the staircase and their own closeness with God. Why wasn't it that easy for me?

With knees aching, I pushed forward even though people rushed by. With every step I climbed, it seemed like twenty more were added to the top of the staircase. Frustration bubbled and tears swelled. Why were the rules different for me and why couldn't I just join everyone else running up and down the stairs?

"You'll never get there!" a man said as he ran by in his gold running shoes. Shame and embarrassment rushed over my face and into my heart. He was right, it felt impossible.

Knees aching and the staircase still winding, I decided to stand up. I waited for the next group of people and as they passed down the stairs, I fell into line. I ran. Down. There was a moment where I slowed down and looked back up the stairs. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I wished I could have gotten closer to God, but the staircase was tall and the journey seemed too hard. And so instead of continuing my journey to get closer to God, I ran down the stairs and God got further and further away...
~ ~ ~

I jolted awake. Wide eyed and sweaty, I laid in my damp sheets feeling the same sadness that I did in my dream. The same sorrow that I felt when I ran down the stair overwhelmed me. No one likes to feel far from God. No one likes to feel not good enough; like a quitter or a loser... and then I remembered the one thing that was missing from my dream, the one truth that changes everything.

We are never too far away.

As we run down the stairs, God sends Jesus running down the stairs too

 and he chases hard after us

because no one is ever too far from God.