I don't dream every night.
I don't even sleep every night...let alone dream.
So, when I do dream, I usually wake hazy with the fine points still swimming around in my thoughts.
What am I to do with my dream details?
Are they important?
Should I write them down to remember them for later?
David G. Benner is the Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Spirituality at the Psychological Studies Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. He has written many books, one of my favorites is Sacred Companions, where he gives readers a basic 'dream works exercise' to help attend to a dream and its significance in our lives.
"Dreams provide us with an opportunity to know what Daniel called our 'inmost thoughts' ... dreams are most useful in spiritual growth when we prayerfully listen to them rather than seek to interpret them. We should receive them as gifts from God, asking him what he wishes to draw to our attention through them..."
T~(title) give the dream a title
T~(theme) note its overall theme
A~(affect) note the dominant emotions in the dream and now as you prayerfully reflect on it
Q~(question) note the potential questions the dream poses for you.
Here is a dream I had on January 7, 2008.
Murphy and I were looking for a pontoon boat in someone's back yard while driving through a neighborhood we were unfamiliar with. As we're driving, looking right and left for the pontoon boat, he drives off the end of the road. The immediate drop off sends us free falling into a dark pit, we are spiraling hundreds of yards downward.
Suddenly, he reaches out the car window, grabs a large vine, and pulls us to safety. We see our pastor friend, Tim, who has witnessed the entire incident. He excitedly begins to tell us about his new blue cowboy hat ~unaware of our recent brush with death.
Apply this exercise...
T=(title) Going places
T=(theme) Looking for something in uncertainty
A=(affect) I don't always need to know where I am going. God is watching over me. I shouldn't panic when I can't find my way. Not everyone will show interest or walk with me on my journey with God.
Q=(question) Will I ever comprehend or understand my destination? Is my objective to obtain the facts and control every situation at every moment? Can I walk by faith? Will God save me if I fall?
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