Dreams (God-given)

I stood before the mirror to make the final touches with makeup and hair that December Sunday morning. Throughout my church preparation I had a train of thought about dreams. My reverie began with a special young friend named Jacob. Then, I moved on to how much I love the Bible character, Jacob, his dream, and I thought about Mother and Daddy and the dream I had during her last days. I asked myself if this could be a subject for a blog. I prayed a silent prayer and asked God to let me know.

Our pastor started his sermon, and he got my attention right away. He shared the passage where the wise men followed the star and found Jesus and presented gifts to Him. We are told they were “warned in a dream not to return to King Herod who had asked them to let him know where Jesus was.” Our pastor continued. Herod was a threat to young Jesus. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. . .”

I wrote in my journal: “Two mentions of dreams. I think that’s a ‘yes.’”

Mother and Daddy’s Story

Mother had declined and was hospitalized. Upon discharge, it was recommended that she go for a short stay to a nursing home for rehab. That was March 5, 2010. She did not want to go. Her beloved apartment at Atria was calling to her. I felt guilty about leaving her in this new setting. I was tired, frustrated, and the solution to my state of mind was ice cream. I stopped at Dillons on my way home and bought a half-gallon of ice cream and ate way too much of it before going to bed. God had mercy and gave me a good night’s sleep. Just before I woke up, I had a dream.

Mother and I were sitting in an open-air tram car at a park, something like Disney World. I turned around and my dad was sitting behind us. He was dressed impeccably in a brown suit and matching tie. He looked vibrant and happy. Mother turned around and when she saw him, they began to laugh together. Mother was beautifully dressed and in good health. Daddy stepped out of his seat and reached out his hand for Mother and they walked off together.

I woke up with a picture of them both beautifully dressed and with health—and joy. I said to myself: “Daddy has come to take Mother home.”

Four months later, in mid-July, I got a call at work from the nurse where Mother had been placed after rehab—a nursing home in a home. Ben told me I needed to come, that Mother had told him: “You’re going to laugh, but last night Frank came to me and said, ‘I’m coming to take you home in a few days.’” That was Monday. On Friday, I stepped out to get supper and got a call from Ben. He reported Mother sat straight up in bed and in a loud voice said: “Frank? Frank?” and then lay back down. I arrived and sat by her bedside—and she was gone. Daddy had come to take her home.

Jacob’s Story

Do you remember the story of Jacob who runs from his brother Esau? He has tricked his brother who now is out to kill him. He stops for the night—not at a Holiday Inn—but out under the stars with a rock for his pillow. This is what happened.

“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”

God stands at the top of the stairway. He tells Jacob that He will give him and his descendants the land on which he is sleeping, that all peoples will be blessed through him. He will be with him and will bring him back to this land.

When Jacob wakes up, he says: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.”

He declares this place is awesome! This place is none other than God’s house, “the gate of heaven.” He calls it “Bethel,” which means “the house of God.”

I remember well my dad’s sermon, “Back to Bethel.” He preached about Jacob’s return many years later to make things right with his brother.

Peter’s Story

To continue our dream theme, the Apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost and explained what had happened that day when the Holy Spirit came. He echoed the words of the prophet Joel that, in summary, when God pours out His Spirit, things happen! The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in our world today since Jesus has gone back to heaven. Peter announced the giving of dreams as one of God’s gifts.

What is your story?