Anyone who goes to sleep will eventually dream, some say your dreams are what your subconcious has pondered on and it carries over into the sleep realm. Others say that your dreams have to do with the types of food you may have eaten before laying down. The Bible clearly shows us how God gave instruction, answered prayer and even showed what calamities and events were to take place.
The Dictionary describes Dreaming this way.. A succession of thoughts, images or emotions that pass through your mind while sleeping.
People day dream, envision or even fantasize about their lives as well as other peoples lives... how they are glad that they don`t live that way, or for many how they secretly wish they lived another person`s life. Without knowing what it took to live that way or what they have to do to maintain it on a regular basis. Dreams are designed to encourage us... some are from God, many are not this is why we must pray for interpretation and clarity . It is not enough to say I had a dream like Martin... but what we do with that information will speak volumes to what we believe has been conveyed to us.
As a child sleep to me was overrated, as a teenager it was utterly only necessary for babies and the elderly. But as an adult I quickly came to appreciate the gift of sleep. When I began to work the graveyard shift at a particular company I was looking for sleep in the corner , in the newspaper and on the back of every milk carton I could find. I was somehow prohibited from sleeping more than 2 hours in the morning after being up for 9 hours prior to. It was a daunting task for me to say the least... I was a grown woman having to go to bed at 7pm at night like an 8 year old just so I would not fall asleep on the job. When everyone else was asleep I was wide awake and when I got off and desired to go to sleep everyone was preparing for their day. So even my dreams changed, I literally began to dream about sleep... how I missed it... what I would do when we reconciled and how I had grown to realize it`s importance to my growth, health and the fulfillment of those dreams. Everyone has witnessed a fussy baby who fights sleep, but oh the feeling of wanting to do something you were designed to do, but not knowing how to accomplish it is a whole other ball of wax.
Many of us are familiar with the story of Rip Van Winkle, he was a kind hearted man who loved helping others, especially children but at the tragic expense of neglecting his very own affairs. He was one who was more concerned with tending to other peoples needs , so much so that he neglected his own affairs. To add insult to injury.. He had a nagging wife !... I wonder if she was some kin to Lot`s wife..? Anyway. In an attempt to escape her "conversation" he and the dog headed on a trip. Needless to say he met up with a man and a beverage which seemed to like him a little more than he figured, fell into a deep sleep and literally was knocked out for 20 years. The dog returned home without him, Rip had aged , grown a beard and even his gun was rusted due to the elements changing and the progression of time.
He was in unfamiliar territory and after understanding that he was not where he once was , He got all prodigal with it and knew enough to head on back home. Upon that arrival many knew of Rip Van Winkle, but of the junior and not senior ; only the older generation was familiar with the elder Van Winkle. Sadly enough his son who had the same name wound up exhibiting the same character. Rip junior was not much of a go getter and did not accomplish much in life.
Growing up in New York we had a saying... Don`t sleep on me. It basically meant do not close your eyes or become unconcious to who I am and what I am capable of accomplishing. This applied to everything from athletic abilities to fighting skills. This reminds me that while I can blame the police, The man, President alcohol, my parents, baby daddy, or society as a whole... My dream becoming a reality has more to do with me realizing my own potential... preparing for the manifestation of it and only believing. Than nodding off to the truth that the reason I am not further in life is because I took a nap and am just waking up from that slumber.
We often sit and watch in amazement at others fulfilling their dreams. Many are envious, jealous and coveting.. not because they necessarily want the person to fail ,but because they may very well feel... Hey I could do that better than them. Interestingly enough ... you will find yourself being upset at them for doing what they dreamt of instead of realizing that the only difference between them and you is that they are doing it while you are sitting on your couch watching them do it.
Personally this story was a wake up call...It let`s me know that I need not dumb down or diminish who I have been called and gifted to accomplish just to please others, I need to recognize that every time that I am afforded to open my eyes I can`t waste time and expect it to stand still for me. And lastly agree that right now is the perfect time to dream again.
So if you have been given a vision or dream which I believe we all have , my next question is are you still in Dream land ???. Dreaming of a white Christmas thanks to Irving Berlin and Bing Crosby. Saying it was all a dream like Biggie when he gave us Juicy , desire a Dream lover to come rescue you like Mariah Carey... Or one of my favorites penned by my very own Pastor needing to ... Wake up Ur Dream. I would like to encourage you to no longer get frustrated because others may have slept on you , but Get up, was your faith, clothe yourself with truth , run with perseverance, arise out of your slumber and give em something to talk about !
Hidden In Him
Pretina J. McNeil
