When I ask people about their dreams, often they
say, “I don’t have dreams, I just don’t dream.” Or, if they do have dreams,
they don’t remember them. But, sometimes, if we continue talking they will
remember a dream they had … then maybe another dream will come to mind. When it
comes to dreaming, I think we all do it – it’s a matter of being mindful of our
dreams
During the past six months, I have read, many people have been experiencing
pandemic dreams. Some of them are pretty obvious – like dreams about being
sick, or having a loved one sick with the virus, dreams about being unable to
breath or desperately trying to find your lost face mask. But some are weird
and funny dreams – like being wrapped up in toilet paper and being the envy of
all who see you. Being surrounded by swarming bugs, symbolizing the virus.
Dreaming about hands, because of the fear of touching things.
Sometimes, in our dreams, our fears come out in ways we might not let
them out in the light of day. But dreaming can also be a way for the
unconscious mind to cope with a problem. Sometimes we find answers or relief in
our dreams.
Sometimes our dreams help us understand something in our lives. For
example, last night I dreamed that I was knocking on people’s doors, then just
walking in without an invitation. I walked around their houses, opening doors,
poking my nose into rooms and closets. This weird dream was probably related to
the fact that I have been asking other people about their dreams this week. I
have been poking my nose into something that is usually private. My dream
helped me realize the vulnerability of sharing something so personal, and what
a gift people are giving me when they share it.
Dreams are important and helpful for many reasons, but most of all
because God speaks to us in our dreams. Without question, the people of the
Bible believed that. Dreams can be powerful things. And that is why Joseph’s
family was so disturbed when he told them his dreams.
If wasn’t just because he was a twerp of a little brother. It wasn’t
just because he was papa’s pet. It wasn’t just because he had that fine multicolored
coat that he wore all the time. All those things were true – but aside from all
that, Joseph had some powerful dreams. And the meaning of his dreams was clear
to all of them. That Joseph, the youngest of them all, would somehow rule over
the rest of them. That all of these men who were bigger, stronger, older than
Joseph, would bow down to him. What a crazy notion – what a threatening notion.
And it got him into a lot of trouble.
For, what do people do with someone they find threatening? They try to
get rid of them.
This is just what Joseph’s brothers did. They got rid of the boy with
the dreams – but the boy never stopped believing in his dreams. Joseph was a
dreamer – no matter how much trouble his dreams would cause for him.
You know, when you think about it, dreamers are often troublemakers.
Because dreams allow you to see something different than what already is.
There is no question that dreams can get you into trouble. Both the
sleeping kind and the waking kind.
Martin Luther King, Jr spoke of his dream, a dream of equality, of peace
and harmony in our land. Martin had a dream of a time when the rough places
would be made smooth and the crooked places made straight, and the glory of the
Lord would be revealed, and all people would see it together.
And his dream did get him into trouble. A lot of trouble. But, trouble
isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The late John Lewis was known to speak of, what he called, “good
trouble.” He recalled how, when he was a child, his mother told him not to get
into trouble, and he tried not to. He tried to be obedient to his mother. But
when he was a teenager, he heard about Dr. King; he heard about the dream and
he was inspired. John said, “Dr. King and Rosa Parks – they inspired me to get
into trouble. Good trouble.”
As he embraced the dream, John Lewis came to realize that sometimes
trouble is necessary. Sometimes, the dreams God gives you, make it necessary. Sometimes
trouble is good.
Joseph’s trouble was necessary, we will learn, because it would put him
in the right place at the right time. Joseph’s trouble was good because it
saved the people of Israel. Joseph the dreamer was one more essential link in
the covenant God made with Israel. Thankfully, Joseph never stopped paying attention
to his dreams, and his dreams remained his guiding light.
You know, if you keep your dreams to yourself, never speaking them out
loud, never sharing them with anyone or doing anything with them, you may stay out of trouble. But wouldn’t the
world be a poorer place if we never shared our dreams?
What if Martin Luther King had never spoken of his dream? How would we
be deprived?
What if John Lewis had never heard of the dream? And what if he had kept
his head down, determined to do like his mother said – stay out of trouble? How
would we be deprived?
What if that dreamer, Joseph, had never opened his mouth and spoken up
about his dreams?
The world would be a different place.
Do you dream?
I encourage you, friends, pay attention to your dreams. Share them with
others, if that feels like the right thing to do. Or hold them close, like Mary
did, and ponder them in your heart. But don’t dismiss them. Don’t bury them.
Let yourself dream … let God open your eyes, illumine you and guide you and
set you free.
The world is blessed by the dreamers and their dreams.
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