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Do Dreams Have Meaning?

Do Dreams Have Meaning?

Published Mar 28, 2018 | Precious TruthsBill Jenkin III 

The easiest answer is, I really don’t know and I can’t imagine having much of a conversation concerning the topic. But then I have to admit that my dreams have affected me on a couple of occasions—once while building our Triple Creek Cabin, I needed to reach the top of the outside gable end. I tried my 24' extension ladder and it was too short. Then I put the ladder in the bed of my 1970 International pickup—still too short. Next I put it on the roof of the truck—it almost reached but was mighty unstable, and who knows what that old truck might do; Old Roger has a mind of its own. I went to bed perplexed, but that night I dreamed of the perfect homemade scaffolding system that hooked on the logs inside of the cabin, allowing me to reach the outside. I immediately built a set of four and have used them four times.

Last night I dreamed I was wrestling with one of the kids. It was either Cliff when he was a child or my grandson Hunter when he was young; or maybe it was both—you know dreams don’t always make sense and are not exactly flawless.

While rasslin’ (in my dream), I grabbed ahold of him and pulled him out of the top bunk; the momentum caused me to flip right out of my bed (in real life!). As I hit the floor like a bag of rocks, my jaw landed on the top of my stainless steel water bottle next to the bed.

At ten after one in the morning I woke up lying on the floor in a great deal of pain. My mouth was bloody, my thigh was sore, and my shoulder ached. I also hit my head but thankfully the hard tile floor was no match for my harder head! 

As I laid there in agony, I remembered my dream and knew what caused me to flip out of bed and crash onto the floor. Somehow that comforted me; otherwise I would have had no explanation for lying there in a daze and I’d be wondering if I just fell out of bed for no good reason. In my mind, wrestling is a good reason!

Without this rationalization, the incident would’ve fueled Terri’s zealous plan (at 1:23 AM) to build a guard rail so I wouldn’t fall out of bed again—you know—the kind we use for little kids? As it stands, since I know I was attacked by either Cliff or Hunter (or both) I don’t need a safety rail—I just need to be less enthusiastic and passionate in my dreams!

So this afternoon my chiropractor realigned my neck, back, and jaw. I still hurt but my teeth line up once again. I have a bruise on the outside of my jaw and a cut on the inside, but the bleeding has stopped and I’m able to function as needed to finish up some sermons. I also have to admit that I’m wondering how this could legitimately fit as a sermon illustration so I don’t waste the experience!

Do dreams have meaning? Well, I still don’t have a clue. But I do know they can have consequences; like launching myself out of bed or designing and crafting custom log cabin gable end scaffolding.

Today, if you’re looking for some biblical truth, a precise theological lesson, or practical spiritual help, then I’ve failed you. While I can normally help in those areas, today’s true story is purely an attempt to make you smile. Then again, it might also serve to cause you to doubt my emotional and mental stability and write the Board Chairman, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take.