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READ: 1 CHRONICLES 29:10-14; PSALM 62:5-8; EPHESIANS 2:4-10\n\n\n\nEmil hadn\u2019t dreamt about dinosaurs since he was eight. Yet here he was with a full-sized Tyrannosaurus rex, in a top hat no less, right in front of him.\n\n\n\n\u201cIf you\u2019re going to eat me, do it quickly, I have other things I\u2019d rather be dreaming about,\u201d Emil said, surprised by his lucidity. Usually, he couldn\u2019t control what he said or did in his dreams, but this one seemed different. Emil scrunched his eyes shut and concentrated. He opened them to see his determination had paid off\u2014he was floating above the ground! With sheer joy, he flew up several more feet, twirling in the air with a happy yell before floating right in front of the perturbed looking T. rex. Then it spoke, \u201cIf you\u2019re done lollygagging, we haven\u2019t much time, so listen closely.\u201d Emil was taken aback by the dinosaur\u2019s voice. \u201cGra-Grandma?\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t be absurd. I\u2019m a talking dream dinosaur. I\u2019m just using your grandma\u2019s voice to tell you a valuable lesson,\u201d the T. rex stated matter-of-factly.\n\n\n\n\u201cOkay\u2026what\u2019d you want to talk about?\u201d Emil floated around the dino\u2019s head, his impatience and curiosity growing. He was startled when the T. rex began speaking telepathically. \u201cPower and success have become familiar to you. You\u2019re a whiz in your classes, a social butterfly, and, let\u2019s face it, your volleyball team wouldn\u2019t have made it to state without you.\u201d\n\n\n\nEmil smiled. Whatever this dino had to say, he could handle it. In here he felt like he could handle anything. Still floating, he did a double-front flip. The Tyrannosaur voiced like his grandma continued. \u201cI said listen. There are things bigger than you and me. What you\u2019ve done and what you have are not really yours. You need to recognize a higher force at play.\u201d\n\n\n\nEmil was about to try a backflip, but he hesitated at her remark. \u201cI wanted to prove I could do it. That I could be someone others were proud of\u2026someone they would love.\u201d Emil was shaken by his honesty. He\u2019d never said these anxieties out loud before. He could feel a lump forming in his throat as he thought of how overwhelming it really was to live \u201cthe life\u201d that seemed perfect, fooling even himself. He knew that the high school achievements he\u2019d craved so desperately meant he had missed out on other stuff he loved to do. Hanging out with his family, doing a Bible study with his two best friends\u2026and he couldn\u2019t remember the last time he\u2019d taken out the dinosaur books and figurines he kept in his room where no one could find them.\n\n\n\nThe Tyrannosaur softened her eyes. \u201cYour family and friends are proud of you and love you no matter what you do, Emil. More importantly, someone greater than us all treasures you. He loves you with an intense and deep passion, and there is nothing you can do to earn His overwhelming grace in your life. He sees all your shortcomings, all your failures, all your hidden sins\u2026yet His love for you is not changed. Through Jesus\u2019s death and resurrection, He made the way to forgive you. There is no score, or medal, or certificate required. Jesus has already fulfilled the requirement. He died for you. He wants you just as you are. And He invites you into the freedom of enjoying relationship with Him, following where He leads, and glorifying Him in everything you do.\u201d\n\n\n\nThe T. rex began to grow foggier, and Emil realized he was waking up. Once back in his bedroom, Emil felt strangely empowered, just like in his dream. Not by any power from his own efforts, but by the work of the One who loved him. \u2022 Peter J. McDonough\n\n\n\n\u2022 Society and culture tell us that, in order to have value or be honored, we need to do things. The pressure to perform can be overwhelming, especially if, like Emil, you just want to make your loved ones proud. But take heart...