Dreams

Dreams are funny things and for years I had no idea what to make of them. Are they are gifts from above? Are they the out workings of my inner thoughts and my subconscious? A pointless amalgamation of the random sensory data my body collects while I sleep? Or the newest theory in the scientific arena: my mind's attempt to process the data piled up in my short term memory and learn from the day's experiences; simply a method of sorting through everything so can my brain can log important stuff away in long term memory and forget the rest?

I have come to the conclusion over the years that sleep is all of the above. At times I have relived the events of the day before and seen them in a new light as I slept. I have dreamt events and conversations that, knowing myself and the people in the dream, never happened but very well could have. When I have been burdened greatly by some thought, prayer, or desire my dreams have given voice to that stress in one way or another. I know that just as my writing often reflects my subconscious and semi-conscious thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, so have my dreams. At times I have been able to label each of these occurrences, each of these uses and purposes for my dreams but several times in my life I have been left wondering, without ever really making up my mind fully, if certain dreams were gifts of spiritual insight that I should heed. I am always hesitant to assign such divine weight to my dreams but I sometimes wonder if I should be. If my dreams encompass and incorporate all of the physical, mental, emotional, and psychological elements of my life then why not the spiritual too? Though as human beings our need for physical rest is the most obvious reason and purpose for sleep Scripture promises that God will speak to His children in dreams and visions.

In Scripture God speaks in dreams that seem to be baffling riddles until explained by His chosen servant (Joseph, Daniel, Samuel...) to both kings and peasants alike. Throughout the history of Israel we are told that the men of one family or another, one tribe or another, had dreams and visions or were good at interpreting them. (I have often wondered if there is a distinction there or simply two names for the same thing.) On the other hand God seems to almost always speak to His servants directly. If He doesn't speak vocally to them in their waking hours He speaks to them with spoken clarity in a dream, or sends an angel to vocalize His message in waking or in sleeping. There have been times in my life where I have heard God speak to me with audible clarity. At times I have listened to Him and to my eternal shame at times I have ignored Him. As far as I know the only dream, given to a servant of God, that was allegorical and thus left open for interpretation was Joseph's dream about the twelve sheaves of wheat and sun, moon, and the twelve stars bowing before him. The only other time I can think of where the recipient of the message is confused as to its origin and meaning is when a very young Samuel hears God calling his name and thinks that it is Eli and Eli tells him, until the third time, he is dreaming.

These two events give me encouragement and frustration at the same time. They leave me wondering if God is speaking to me subtly and even directly but I am missing it. They encourage me that perhaps I am right when I think there is more to a dream, that I should take the spiritual hints, or obvious overtones, in it very seriously. And yet since I lack the overwhelming conviction that I have recieved a message from the Lord that is seen in almost all of the Biblical occurances I, perhaps like Eli, can't help but wonder if it really was "just a dream" and if I should "go back to sleep".

I wish I knew for sure whether there was more to a dream or not. I wish there was some authority I could turn to, but almost everyone I have ever heard talk about dreams and visions was either completely naturalistic about it, ended their discourse sounding as vague and undecided as I already felt, or sounded like a complete nut that based their beliefs off personal feeling and not scriptural evidence. Maybe I’ll ask some of the Bible professors here. I really respect several of them for how well they have thought through all the various ways to interpret things even if I disagree with them on exactly what they choose to believe. I guess aside from asking them, my parents, and pastor, the only thing to do is what I always end up having to do, wrestle it out for myself: search the scriptures and ask the Lord for answers.

I'm Taken

I want you all to meet my girlfriend Melanie!Melanie and I are now officially a couple since we talked to her parents earlier today/yesterday! I really can't tell you how excited I am 'cause she's pretty much amazing!