I have been interested in knowing more about dreams for as long as I can remember. What do they mean? Why do we dream? Who is trying to tell us something, even our own selves? I think the reason for my intrigue has to do with the fact that I don't dream often, or at the very least I can never remember if I do. So when I wake up with a dream fresh in my conscious state, I tend to take it very seriously. Why did I dream this time?
I'm sure we all can agree that we don't only dream when we are asleep. We dream even when we are awake. I'm not talking about daydreaming. I'm talking about the kind of dreaming where our vision seems so ridiculous and yet attractive to us, and we decide we want to do everything we can to make it a reality. To channel my Disney Cinderella, "a dream is a wish your heart makes." As a believer, however, I know that I don't dream alone--rather, my Father is the one who helps me discover them as He shapes me. Wow, what a thought: we can dream with God.
When I went to the Middle East, I was surprised to learn that it's not uncommon they come to know Him through dreams. When I arrived at college, I was interested in learning more about these visions other believers seem to have. Whenever someone tells me with conviction what it is they were put on this earth to do, I can't help but wonder how they know.
But we can dream with our Father. What an honor. To have Him hear us, and to hear from Him as well--working and blending together who we (both are).
So imagine when it actually happened to me. When I dreamed while I was speaking to him; my eyes were closed but not asleep. My eyes closed, but wide awake to the scene He unfolded before me. And then imagine not hearing anything about it again for four years. Like any person who stirs from slumber, I found myself asking: did I come up with that? What did it mean? Why then? Will it ever come to pass? But in choosing to stay faithful to part of my identity as a dream chaser, I chose to hold on tightly--that He had indeed given me something weighty, and glorious, and apostolic.
So here we are.
T-minus 2 months until I leave home to train on the other side of the country. T-minus 5 months until I arrive on the field. In less than a year, this dream will be realized. And once it's realized, you know what? We keep on dreaming with Him some more.