What If I Don't Understand My Dreams?

What if I Don’t Understand My Dreams?

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Wed, 05/26/2010 - 10:01am

Whether you are new to the world of dream interpretation or a trained and seasoned dream interpreter, the most common complaints concern confusion in comprehending dreams.  Dreams are symbolic, mysterious, and quite puzzling most of the time.  No one understands every dream.  So, if you are perplexed, rest assured that you are not alone. 

 

Common questions that can give us a reality check:

 

1.  Does every dream need to be interpreted?

Not necessarily.  Every dream may contain meaning that could be beneficial, but not every dream is a spiritual dream that needs interpretation.  (read more about this question)

 

2.  How do I know if my dream is important enough to spend more time and energy trying to understand?

I believe every dream is worth some time and effort—even if we never fully ‘get it’.  We always learn something in the process of trying.  The more you work with dreams, the better you become at recognizing the ‘weightier’ dreams that may carry more significant meaning.

 

3.  What can I DO to unlock my dream?

A number of habits help us with interpretation.  Value your dreams more (thank God for dreams)! Journal them.  Make a list of symbols and possible meanings—search and meditate on them. Draw a picture of your dream. Pray--ask Spirit for revelation. Ask gifted friends. Keep going back to read and ponder. Wait and listen. None of these practices are wasted effort. 

 

4.  What if I’m missing out on something very important because I don’t understand?

Many people experience recurring dreams because there is a persistent issue in their lives that needs addressing. God is gracious to us by gently reminding us and prodding us to delve deeper. Often, for timely and critical matters, revelation seems to come much clearer. If we are truly seeking and listening, I believe it is harder to miss out on destiny direction.

 

5.  Why do dreams have to be so difficult?

Whether dreams are from our own soul, as a result of a busy day and unmet needs, or whether they are spiritual direction from God, they are communicated symbolically, and most western minds are not used to processing metaphorically. 

 

It requires effort to venture beyond our normal ways of thinking.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words, but it takes practice to wrap our brains around symbols and pictures, to arrive at the release of intelligible words.

 

An author, Sandy Warner, shares this story:  “One time I said, ‘God, I can hear you just fine, why don’t you just talk to me and tell me what you mean?’  God answered, ‘Sweet One, I am not teaching you YOUR language, I am teaching you MINE.’”

 

Dreams from God are divinely designed to draw us into relationship, not just to get answers, but to develop communication and communion. We learn to lean on Someone much bigger than ourselves—someone who knows our circumstances and sees the Big Picture. 

 

Wisdom says to keep asking, seeking, knocking, keep studying, waiting, listening.  All are disciplines crucial in developing receptive hearts and attentive ears.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Question:  Where do you seem to get ‘stuck’ most often in interpreting your dreams?

Humility Will Get You Everywhere

Humility Will Get You Everywhere

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Wed, 05/19/2010 - 5:09pm

Have you ever tried to work or minister with people who are ‘experts’ on every topic? They have an opinion about everything and seemingly have nothing to learn. They are excellent, proficient, and magnificent in all areas of life, even if they are just twenty years old.   

 

Their arrogance erects walls that no one can scale. They don’t stop to ask questions or listen because they know it all, and they think everyone should cherish their advice. Listening to people for understanding seems demeaning to them--a waste of their precious time. 

 

In short, they are big-headed but small-hearted.

 

It’s kind of like bragging about your musical skills (when you have had two lessons)--to a world-class musician, expecting admiration for your abilities. 

 

I know I have had my egotistical seasons, which I remember with a cringe.  The older I get, I realize that the more I learn, the more I see I need to learn.  There is always more to study and experience.  We will never know it all. 

 

So we’d best quick acting like we are The Hotshot Pro, or we will be blinded by our own en-LIGHT-enment. 

 

How many of our interactions with people would go better and earn us more favor if we made it our practice to humble down and treat people with respect and honor, assuming the best about them and not treating them like we think they ignorant morons—in comparison to us?

 

We communicate love and respect as we practice preferring others above ourselves in our speech and actions.  Serving and not promoting ourselves develops character, strength, and integrity—and gives us authority. Kindness always takes us far. We value and bless others instead of ignoring and revealing our lack of maturity loud and clear.

 

“Agree with each other, love each other,

be deep-spirited friends. 

 

Don’t push your way to the front.

Don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. 

Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. 

Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. 

Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”

 

--Philippians 2:2-4 The Message

Dawning Time

Dawning Time

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Tue, 05/11/2010 - 12:00pm

There’s nothing like waking up in the morning within a deep, restful bubble of tranquility, before the day’s swirl of thoughts and activities begin to jar me fully awake.  My unconscious mind becomes vaguely aware of the approach of daylight, yet there is still time to fiercely guard the ‘dawning time’, where I can remain in the posture of spiritual listening and receiving like a pitcher waiting to be filled—so it can be used to pour out.  Without connecting with Spirit’s Voice in the morning, the day just isn’t the same—it seems . . . less inspired.   

 

I’ve been dreaming.  Do I remember?  What is the message?  What are my directions for the day? What creative flow can I jump right into?  Who would be blessed by a phone call or a word of encouragement?  What do I write about today?  What needs are around me that I can tend to? How can I partner with the Creator to make a difference in the world today?

 

Better yet, to linger in the stillness, for just a moment, to enjoy the sensation of God’s tangible presence all around me—in the calming sounds of nearby snoozing puppies, my husband preparing for his day, the birds chirping happily outside my window. I can feel the weight of Spirit’s love and affirmation, and sometimes the words materialize to thrill and bring energy to anticipate this day’s surprises and challenges.

 

Something FUN is ahead, I just know it!

 

Even if the day is rough, with painful situations to deal with, things just seem easier to deal with because I am supernaturally empowered and recharged.  Spending time infused by an eternal God widens my vision and changes my limited perspective. Today’s troubles don’t seem so devastating. Carry the peace forward!

 

“People with their minds set on you,

you keep completely whole,

steady on their feet,

because they keep at it and don’t quit. 

Depend on God and keep at it

Because in the Lord God, you have a sure thing.”

Isaiah 26:3-4 The Message 

Are You Normal or . . . (gasp) . . . One of Those Weirdos?

Are You Normal or . . . (gasp) . . . One of Those Weirdos?

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Sat, 05/08/2010 - 11:23am

One of Life’s persistent challenges dogs every one of us from early childhood until the day we die—becoming unique within a society that values conformity.  Peer pressure to blend in with the crowd strongly influences our daily choices regarding work, friends, how to dress, what TV shows to watch, which church to attend, how to spend time, and even how to think. 

 

I remember my children’s middle school days, when ‘someone’ decided that a certain kind of gym socks were popular—the knee-high kind.  But scrunched down to mid-calf.  And they had to have THREE color stripes, not just two.  Of course, those kinds of socks were difficult to find in the stores.  But we searched until we found the RIGHT socks, because to settle for socks with two stripes might evoke scorn for my child for being ‘different’—which potentially meant disapproval and rejection from the “in” crowd. 

 

Peer pressure among adults seems equally as ridiculous, though it is not a frequent subject of discussion. Most men and women feel inadequate in their appearance, thanks to media portrayals of photo-shopped Hollywood stars that set an impossible ‘beauty’ or ‘studly’ standard. 

 

We buy things we can't afford, we decorate our homes with the colors and décor that are popular, instead of what we really prefer.  Because of our yearning to ‘fit in’, we choose the same cars as our neighbors, which in our region, are certain brands in neutral silver, black, white, or tan, with an occasional blue or red.  Without even thinking, we shake our heads with displeasure at the occasional person who drives a yellow car, gets a wild haircut, or paints their front door purple.

 

A friend of mine called to tell of a couple of dreams he had about old friends. He shared the powerful messages from the dreams with these friends, who were blown away with his supernatural insight.  As he excitedly told me this story, he exclaimed, “Isn’t this weird?”  Since I am a dream interpreter and I do this kind of thing all of the time, I responded, “It is not weird—it’s NORMAL.”  

 

It's weird how 'normal' gets defined.  My friend David McQueen asked, “Why is it that when we call other people ‘weird’, we assume that WE are the ‘normal’ standard?" 

 

We tell our children how unique and special they are.  We want them to develop their abilities and desires to follow their destiny. But the expectations placed on everyone to conform to the status quo may be weighty enough to squash all creativity. 

 

Many of us give up allowing our originality to shine.  Because we don’t want to risk feeling rejection or being called ‘weird’. We may never step out to do what we are called to do because fear keeps us in our conventional, conservative box with little room for mistakes or criticism.  We don’t want to stand out, yet we long to stand out. 

 

I encourage us all to dare to dream big! May we risk being called ‘odd’ as we follow those dreams into our destiny. May we all be willing to break through limitations and expectations to become people who do something extra-ordinary.  May we become supporters of diversity, world changers, and trend-setters, seeing the potential in people and blessing them in their ‘weirdness’ to release color and swirly imagination into our world.