I have spoken about this before. The exchange of what one has for something of perceived or better value. Sometimes one makes an exchange, just to get back to square one. Or to be even.

One of the reasons that sales or selling work is you have product or service in which people will exchange money and/or merchandise or service, in the case of barter, to obtain what they are looking for.

For instance one of the things I often share with my grandchildren is if you are making $10 per hour and you want to purchase a bicycle for $80 how many hours are you giving over? People often fail to see the cost of their purchasing or their exchange. Barter tends to be a little easier on the mind because people are reducing it to what do I think the item or service I want is worth. People seem to have a harder time when it involves cash.

Last night I had a dream about exchanging. In the dream I watched people reducing the quality of their life by their choices. (It is real easy to see that smoking or drinking excessively will cut down on the quality of a life.) And as the dream continued I saw people trading quality of life for what appeared to be frivolous things. But then the dream began to escalate. As people made purchases or exchanges their bodies began to deteriorate. Each trip for various foods or excessive pleasures caused their bodies to shrink. Almost to be eaten away. It was clear various choices were robbing their lives of life.

And then I saw various groups of people who were getting larger. With certain exchanges or purchases their lives were in growth mode. I peeked over to see what they purchasing at one vendor station. I saw “peace” on the sign. On another I saw the word “faith”. In the midst of this place with all these vendors and stores, while some saw their lives deteriorating, others were locating stores or vendors of items that would cause their bodies to strengthen and to grow. Some of these people were huge.

As I thought about this dream upon waking up, I thought about the word “footprint”. These really large people were leaving behind large foot prints or impressions. While the ones whose lives were shrinking, being eaten away were having less and less of a footprint or an impression.

I thought that this was to be shared not to denigrate those who make choices that reduce the quality of their lives but to ENCOURAGE those who eat of that which grows them. Sometimes when you are doing what you know God called you to do, you wonder, is it doing anything. This dream says yes.

The other day I wrote about eating the fruit of the spirit. In the past I have written about the trading floors as the place where folks are seen bargaining for something greater. Ezekiel 28:1-19 talks of an exchange or a trade that leads to evil.

What will you trade to expand your footprint, to empower you and extend your borders? Will you forgo family for success? Will you embrace family and friends to grow? What may be bad for one (Like a move.) may be the thing that changes life for another. (How many had they inquired of the wisdom of friends and family could have saved themselves years of disappointment? There is a wisdom that is found in God and sometimes He uses His people to share it! Wisdom is known by her children.)

Again, if your life seems to be filled with bad choices and you have traded for that which hinders your life…stop! Sometimes the simplest thing is just “STOP!” And begin to choose that which leads to life.