The Dream World In Which We Live

TheDiscipleMD

I don’t know why the person who delivered the paper left it in the road around the corner from my house but they did. I walked out in my pajamas to the bottom of the driveway and saw it lying beside the road. I walked down the street to get my paper. As I walked back to my home I went up the Cul-de-sac to my house only to discover that I was in the wrong Cul-de-sac. I quickly retraced my steps back to where I had gotten the paper. I didn’t recognize the roads surrounding it. I panicked and began running as fast as I could looking for my street. It was embarrassing as I was in my PJ’s and people were starting to come out of their homes for work. Not only that, I had a Teddy bear in my arms. I don’t even own one…anymore! I felt so foolish. Soon I was running down a highway looking for my street. Eighteen- wheelers were speeding by and I knew they must be thinking, “What is that crazy man doing in his PJ’s running down the highway?” I saw off to the left of me a golf course. I knew it was close to my street. As I ran onto the golf course I saw that my own clubs were there on the pathway. I knew they were mine, yet I knew I didn’t own any. I picked them up. I felt so confused. Where was I? Where was my street? I looked around. I didn’t recognize anything? The panic feeling of being lost overtook me! What was going on? Where was I? Then….in a start…I opened my eyes. It took me a moment to compose myself. A relaxed feeling came over me. I looked around and saw light coming in through the bedroom window. I was lying comfortably in my bed. What a dream!

I know all of us have had similar dreams; strange dreams that leave you in a panic. Who hasn’t at least dreamt once about falling and just before hitting the ground you wake up with a start! Or who hasn’t had a similar dream to the one I mentioned above. Lost, or finding themselves wearing something embarrassing in a public place! It is such a relief when you wake up to know that it was just a dream. Sometimes I wonder if when we leave this life we will wake up back in “Kansas” and find ourselves saying, “Wow, what a dream!”. Of course, it won’t have been a dream, but….in some ways; we will be back in the “real” world. Back at home. Back to where we came from. Back in our comfortable beds! We will have shed the mortal body with all its imperfections and limitations. For some, this life has resembled a confusing dream. Those who were born in times without the gospel on the earth must have wandered aimlessly through their dream searching for the meaning of life. Still others have willingly rejected the message of the gospel and the inner workings of the spirit that testify of its truthfulness. Many of the latter will find that they have traded an eternity of dreams….for what is really just one night of earthly pleasures!

We are blessed to live in a time when the gospel is here in its fullness. Hopefully for all of us, our eternal dream is centered on returning to live with our Father in Heaven. In many ways, it is a “dream within a dream”. I have always been impressed by Jacob’s statement as found in the Book of Mormon.

“…time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream”. (Jacob 7:26)

It is such a simple statement but as I grow older it has become much more profound. The other day I was watching an interview of a famous professional golfer. He was reminiscing about a golf tournament back in 1975. The interviewer said, “That was over 35 years ago”. The golfer replied, “Yes, it seems like so long ago, but then again, it feels like it was just yesterday”. Compared to eternity our time on earth is short. Its length is not really more than the length of a dream we have during the night. I don’t think any of us would consider throwing away an eternity of happiness for just a one night stand. But, on occasion, while lost in a midnight dream, we might become confused and forget who we are and why we are here. We can lose sight of our home and the knowledge we have that life is eternal.

Maybe the words of a stanza from the Mama’s and the Papa’s song “Dream a Little Dream of Me” aren’t totally “apropos” for the feelings that our Father and Heaven has for us but…..maybe-

Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you—

Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.

But in your dreams, whatever they be,

Dream a little dream of me.

May we “dream a little dream” of him who is our creator and not lose sight of life eternal that awaits all who are faithful to the covenants they make with our Father. May we diligently search for the meaning of this life that passes so quickly before our eyes “as if it were a dream.”

 

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