Dreams

Dreams have always fascinated me.  I once started a "dream journal" years ago.  It was a little journal I kept by my bed.  In the mornings I would jot down details I could remember from any dreams I had had the night before.  I felt silly writing down weird details that seemed to make absolutely no sense at the time.  However, it wasn't until years later when I happened upon that journal and re-read my entries that I was astounded.   There were some dreams I had had that I could definitely tie into something that had happened in the years since I had written the words.  Of course, I couldn't relate all of my dreams to a specific real-life happening, but some I could.  And that to me was simply amazing. 

I am a believer in dreams.  God spoke to people throughout the Old Testament in dreams, and I firmly believe he does the same thing today. 

Do you dream alot?  Some people do, but I have heard some people say they very rarely dream.  Some people lie awake at night worrying about circumstances.  Apparently, I go to sleep and dream about them.  Some make sense, some do not.  Some are easy to "translate," some are not.  (If you've never googled "dream interpretations," do it.  Bookmark a good site and then when you dream something strange you can try and figure out what it means.)

One of the first conversations I have with my family each morning, especially on the weekends, (we don't really have time on school days) is about our dreams.  We've done this since the kids were little.  "Did you have any dreams?"  Maybe you do it too with your kids and spouse.  Or maybe we're just weird.  Whatever the case, we share our dreams from the night before.  It's fun to do with little kids - - they can make up some very colorful dreams!  Poptart will start telling us about her dream and when we think she's done and someone else begins, she exclaims, "I'm not done yet!" and keeps on talking.  Gogurt loves to call her out and accuse her of making it all up, but she promises she is not.  And who can really say? 

I've dreamed all sorts of things in my lifetime, and I'm sure you have too.  Do you have recurring dreams?  I've always heard if you dream something 3 times it will come true.  That terrified me as a kid.  I remember one scary dream of a Chinese dragon (you know the kind people walk under in their parades?) coming out of the woods and chasing me.  I dreamed it twice and was scared to death I would dream it again.   As far as I can remember, I never dreamed it that dreaded 3rd time. 

My most recurring theme is showing up somewhere unprepared.  For example, I have dreamed unnumbered times that I showed up for a basketball game only to realize I had forgotten my jersey.  That dream has sort of faded as I have gotten older, but it has been replaced by the dream of arriving at a wedding at which I was the pianist and realizing I had forgotten my music.  Do you see the theme there?  I wish I would have kept a tally of how many times I had dreamed those two dreams in my lifetime.  I'm guessing a dozen at least. 

Have you ever had the dream where your teeth just crumble out of your head?  That's an awful one.  I read somewhere the meaning of that dream.   It means one of two things, either your health or business is in jeopardy or you have spoken poorly of someone and it is coming back to haunt you. 

What about dreaming someone you love has died?  That's an emotional one.  What about the dream your spouse has been unfaithful?  (And you wake up seriously hurt and mad!) 

Then there's the totally nonsense dreams that as far as we can tell make absolutely no sense whatsoever.  Those are the fun ones to share together - it makes for a good laugh!

The thought I would like to leave with you is to not dismiss your dreams.  From my experience, dreams can absolutely give insight to what is happening around you in your "awakeness" that you may be ignoring.   

And never, never doubt that God could be using a dream to tell you something. 

Sweet dreams!