Waking or sleeping, dreams seem to appear out of nowhere. They fill our heads and hearts with awesome images, both beautiful and frightening. And almost as quickly as they appear, they fade away, rarely retained in much detail at all. But like the mist of a morning fog, perhaps they simply change form, and reappear in playful afternoon clouds, and again in the rose expanse of sunset.
The energy that inspires our work, fuels our passions, strengthens our resolve, and gives meaning to our most tedious efforts - the power that propels us forward each day - often manifests itself in dreams. Richly envisioned possibilities, beautifully adorned imaginings, deep sweet internal longings - these are the mists that motivate, when cold hard objectives lose their appeal. These are the enduring images that refuse to yield to frustration, that adapt and shift to withstand every earthquake, that persist in whispering timeless truths when everything else is just noise.
Each phase of life, each season of each year, bears witness to death and birth, growth and decay. Yet each is a part of the other, as morning is to night. As we age, we are often tempted to put away childhood dreams, box them up in the attic, not bothering to remember in which box they are stored. But dreams don't stay in boxes. They pass through walls of time and circumstance, reinvent themselves in creative ways, and introduce themselves to us again as a renewed old friend.
Some of my dreams from 34 years ago have reappeared in recent days. I recognize them, although they have changed a bit. They still have that old familiar charm, the special aura that stirs my soul. I know I can't grab them, like some leprechaun thus obligated to grant me my pot of gold. But I'm watching them, paying attention to them with renewed interest, more confident now than ever before that they are here to stay.
What were your dreams? How have they transformed? Where are they now? I know they're not gone. You may not see them now, while focused on the concrete urgencies of each day. But they are there. Close your eyes for a while, and open them again with renewed vision. Pay attention to your dreams. They are here to stay.
"I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days."
-- Joel 2:28-29
