Dreams

We speak of dreams in many ways. Sometimes we are talking about the stories our mind creates while we are asleep. (A bad or scary dream is called a “nightmare”.) Sometimes we speak of “day dreams” – when our mind wanders away from the present and we are imagining something or creating a fantasy in our minds while awake.

Do you remember very many of your dreams from sleeping? Do you have good dreams, nightmares or a mixture? Do you like to remember your dreams or not? Why?

Do you often daydream? Does your mind easily wander from your present life and into a fantasy world? When does this happen the most, if ever? What kinds of fantasies do you create in your mind?

Do you enjoy fantasy or science fiction literature? If so, give an example.

We often speak of a “dream” as that goal or future plan that we really, really want. Often it is difficult to “make our dream come true.” What kind of dreams do you have for the future?

Imagine that a young man of 19-years old dies in a car accident. When he dies, some dreams die at the same time. His mother and father had dreams of seeing their son grow, marry and have children. He had his own dreams for his life too. Does it seem unnatural and tragic when children die before their parents? Have you seen this happen in your own experience?

Have you ever seen a dream die? What caused it to die? How did you recover from the loss? Did you make new dreams/plans for the future? What were the new dreams?

Have you seen a dream come true? Describe it to your conversation partners.

Here is a kind of dream of the future from the last book of the Bible called Revelation. Someday there will be a new earth, different from the earth we live on now. Here is a small part of the description of the new earth in the future:

“Now God makes his home with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. And God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or sadness. There will be no more crying or pain. Things are no longer the way they used to be.” Revelation 21:3-4

Do you ever dream of a world without crying or pain or sadness or death? Do you think you would miss things like war, conflict, pain, or sadness in a new world? Why or why not?