Dream of the Cookie-Cutter Men

In the evening of February 19th, I had been sitting in my prayer chair unable to go to sleep. I just sat there staring at an incomplete piece of art – a painting that I had been working on – deep in thought. My thoughts led me to these questions:

Why do people have to endure so much pain? Why do things seem so unfair sometimes? Why do things still go wrong, despite our best efforts to do everything right?

Somewhere in my deep wondering, I fell asleep, and in the early hours of the morning, on February 20th, I had a dream.

I dreamed I was sitting with the Lord and watching what He was doing. In front of Him were white sheets of paper with outlines of cookie-cutter men (cookies in the shape of gingerbread men). He had many sheets with outlines of cookie-cutter men in front of Him. I watched as He grabbed sheet after sheet and began to cut out the shape of each man; as He did, I was surprised that He wouldn’t follow the lines. He just cut the men out however He wanted to. I watched as His hand moved the scissors high above the lines, and then sharply turned the scissors back down, cutting right through the lines and right into the shape of the men. It seemed like He was messing them up, ruining the whole picture.

One after another, I watched Him cut each man out the way He wanted to. It was painful to watch. The further away from the line He went, the more painful it felt. I wanted to tell Him to stop. I couldn’t understand what He was doing, and I was questioning Him in my mind. Then He paused, looked at me like He had been reading my thoughts, and spoke. He said, “Bernice, you want Me to cut on the line so that you can make sense of what I am doing. But I don’t work that way, because I create masterpieces.” (Photo via Unsplash)

The Master of All Masterpieces

I woke up from the dream with the tangible presence of God surrounding me. He began ministering to my heart, bringing fresh revelation as I lay in His presence. I thought again about what the Lord had said to me: “Bernice, you want Me to cut on the line so that you can make sense of what I am doing. But I don’t work that way, because I create masterpieces.”

He is not a cookie-cutter God; He is not a one-size-fits-all God. We are not cookie-cutter people, and God doesn’t approach us that way! He is Creator God, the Elohim, meaning the “Supreme One,” the Creator of all things. He is the “Master” at making masterpieces. The One who knows you infinitely better than you know yourself. The One who planned your future before you were even born.

When You Don’t Have All the Answers

God is not afraid of our questions, but our questioning can indirectly lead to judging. We can become judges in places where it was never our place to judge. We judge ourselves and we judge others, but worst of all, we become God’s judge. Our need to make sense of what we see and what is happening can be a pitfall. We don’t always like how God chooses to do things. We want Him to stop because it’s painful to watch and it’s painful to experience! We don’t always fully understand that He is God and we are not. He has the full right to shape us and those around us however He wants to. When He comes to shape us, He does it not because He is trying to mess things up or cause us pain; He does it because His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.'” (Isaiah 55:8–9)

When revelation hits your spirit, it is like an “AHA” moment; it doesn’t just bring comprehension, it brings freedom. It will set you free from the things that are keeping you stuck, those things that would try to get you to judge God, yourself, and others.

For those like me who want to have all the answers, the ones who want to have it all figured out, it’s okay to not understand what God is doing. It’s okay to not have it all figured out. Jesus gave us the beautiful gift of faith so that we can trust Him. He already has it all figured out for us! (Photo via PickPik)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)

Maybe your life feels a little bit like my dream with the cookie-cutter men being shaped by the Lord; He seems to be cutting everywhere except the lines you want Him to follow. God is reminding you today that He doesn’t work “your way.” But He wants you to know, if you allow Him to be the Master, He will create the most beautiful masterpiece out of your life.

I release blessing over you right now, that a fresh revelation of God’s goodness and love would permeate your heart. I pray over you a fresh surrender and trust in His plan for you, because He is good! In Jesus’ name!

I found this Scripture so fitting:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Bernice Scheidler
Bernice Scheidler Ministries
Email: bernicescheidler@gmail.com
Websites: www.bernicescheidler.com
| www.bernicescheidlerart.com

Bernice Scheidler was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, and moved to Central Oregon, USA with her husband Josh in 2010, where they currently reside with their three children. Together they planted Ignite Faith Church in 2016. Bernice Scheidler also started Bernice Scheidler ministries where she teaches, preaches, and releases the prophetic and prayer. She is a revivalist, a prophetic speaker, and a creative with a heart to create beauty. She is passionate about the call of God on her life, and places great emphasis on the importance of prayer. She is called to release the Kingdom of God here on Earth through sharing the Gospel and releasing God’s heart to others through dreams, visions, and the prophetic; through preaching, teaching, and ministering to the sick, the lost, and the broken; and through the creative arts. Her heart’s desire is for people to encounter God in a very powerful way, bringing them the salvation, healing, deliverance, breakthrough, and freedom they desire. She believes in signs, wonders, miracles, all the gifts of the Spirit, and that the Body of Christ should operate in them today!