I Dreamed A Dream

Most of the time my dreams just seem to feel like a random sampling of thoughts or events that occurred throughout the day that my brain attempts to process at night. There isn't really anything significant about any of them, so consequently, I don't really remember any of them.

Other times they're recurring dreams. One that I used to have was my teeth falling out or decaying rapidly, although I haven't had one of those in years. Another I used to get was of falling from great heights, which has since been altered into balancing on top of incredibly high places - bikes, towers, etc. I still have those ones every so often. Those ones are usually easy to figure out because they seem to center around some kind of anxiety I'm feeling about my appearance (teeth) or ability (or inability) to handle/balance/juggle all of the demands in my life. The thoughts and feelings associated here are known and understood, both before and after the dream.

And still other times there are those dreams that feel like they are windows into parts of myself that I either never knew, or had forgotten about entirely, and having the dream alerts me to reality - what I'm really feeling, or even what it is that I really want. Last night I had several incredibly vivid dreams, and one of them had everything to do with this last type that I mentioned.

I won't bother going into the specifics, but the general feeling I had was one of renewed faith and hope. In my heart of hearts I know that there are certain things that I cannot live without, other things that I yearn for, and all of these things are worth waiting for until they come to fruition. I guess what was important about the dream was being reminded that these things are in fact real, not fleeting, and attainable: they are within my grasp if I am true and faithful.

In thinking about these things this morning it reminded me of this verse from Abraham 1:2:

And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.

I've been reading the Lectures on Faith recently, so that has been a theme of mine. Connected to this scripture, are several found in what is probably my favorite chapter in the Bible, Hebrews 11. With respect to Abraham, Paul writes:

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Like Abraham, I also seek a better country where can be found greater happiness, peace, and rest. I am so grateful to be reminded of these things from time to time. It's funny to me that sometimes I have to become a captive audience, and be spoken to when I'm in the grips of sleep in order to get the point.

Well, a friend of mine (yeah, Moomby, you get that title too) had posted this song and a related point a few weeks ago so I thought I'd do the same.