Dream Vessel

Chapter 3 - House of Dreams

God begins to reveal to me who I am.

He is speaking to me in vivid dreams of houses. They are a metaphor for me. The first floor represents my human nature, not necessarily bad. The upper floors reveal my higher self or spiritual condition. Parts of the house, like stairs and windows, depict different aspects on my life, such as access and vision.

Island House

I dreamed I was on an island trying to get an abandoned house ready for visitors. I wanted to live there, but all the appliances were rusty and the floor was covered with dirty, old tiles. I began ripping up the old floor and found a pretty, clean floor underneath.

Then I was trying to get dressed to go somewhere. I kept going upstairs to find my shoes. The stairs were old and came to dead ends and there were secret closets. I pulled the stairs down and had to climb to the second floor on a rope ladder. I kept climbing up and down trying to find the right shoes. I finally picked a pair of short boots with no socks.

Some performers tried to help me. They were waiting in their car to me to a reception, but we fell and I got hurt. I went to the reception, but was in pain. Every time I was touched, I discovered another place that hurt.

The island symbolizes my isolation on the boat. The abandoned house represents my condition at the time and indicates a separation from God. My desire to live in this old house is reflected in my attempt to prepare it for visitors. I am preparing myself for a caller, God.

The rusty appliances represent the things I use to prepare my food, God's word. He is showing me I need to use His word to nourish my spirit.

The dirty floors speak to the condition of my spiritual foundation. I am trying to strip away the old covering and restore the floors. God is telling me that I need to get at what is underneath to discover my genuine self.

"Preparation [to face the enemy with the firm footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the gospel of peace." Ephesians 6:15

The word gospel means story. So, shoes in this dream represent the preparation of the story, or message God has given me. I am trying to find the right shoes for the job. I chose a pair of short boots with no socks; just the bare essentials. Boots portend a difficult work or road to walk. My shoe choice is functional and shows a desire to take the short course.

The stairs represent access to the next level. They are old and come to dead ends. I don’t want to use the old way, so I tear down the stairs and my way becomes more difficult. I’m climbing to the second level on a rope ladder. It reminds me of one of those emergency ladders you hang out a window in case of fire. They swing and twist as you try to climb. That also symbolizes a difficult journey.

Perhaps, God is showing me that by leaving church I have cut myself off from the “set man” He appointed to speak into my life. – Pastor certainly did speak to me in profoundly prophetic words. – Now I only have emergency access to God. What are secret closets?

A closet is; “A private chamber for studying, meditating, or praying.” So, this dream is about being isolated on the boat for my spiritual preparation. God put me there so He could give me revelation through dreams and visions. The performers must represent choir. Pastor tried to help me get to the next level by allowing me to use his vehicle (choir) to get to God.

The word reception is the key to understanding this dream. It represents God’s acceptance of me. He has taken over, turned me around and is speaking to me Himself. Hearing from Him is crucial to my spiritual survival. I arrived in pain, but God is healing me and using this isolation to minister to me.

As I wrote, God prompted me to look up the word reception. He has used that figure of speech in other dreams, but I assumed it referred to the banquet of the second coming. The root word receive means; “To take possession of,” from the Latin; “To take back, regain.”

These definitions confirmed that what I perceived about the dream was correct. – I’ve learned to look things up when God prompts me to, because He has a specific message in the word. – Here, God was showing me His plan to mentor me Himself.

NOTE: Themes of stairs and secret closets reoccurred in other dreams, which I now realize were clues to being isolated a second time. Also, this was the first appearance of shoes in my dreams, a theme that becomes more significant later.

Bare Walls

I dreamed I was standing alone in the upstairs of a house and all the walls were bare to the studs. I looked around and asked, “Don’t you think it’s about time you finished this if you intend to use it?”

I am this house. The bare upstairs is my unfinished spiritual self. I am speaking to God! I feel inadequate for the job He has for me to do, but His word says He will do that work. I want what God has for my house and my life. I am eager for Him to begin His work in me.