Dreams are an interesting subject.  There are countless theories on where dreams come from, what they mean, etc.  Dreams could be a way God speaks to us or they could come from that pint of Ben & Jerry’s we ate before we went to bed (I prefer “Chubby Hubby).  But no matter what your preference for dream theories is, I truly believe dreams mean something and we should learn from them.

I’ve recently had a heavy heart concerning our culture’s view on manhood and marriage and sexiness and all the things that go along with those issues.  I’ve been spending a lot more time out of my Christian bubble and in the secular world, and I’m daily becoming more aware of how the institutes of marriage and love and purity are quickly decaying in our society, especially in the hearts and minds of men.  This may explain some of the dreams I’ve been having.  I believe God is speaking, but it could have just been something I ate.  Either way, I’ll share with you.

Dream #1: I dreamed that my wife came up to me one day and told me that she was going to marry another man.  The way she calmly announced this to me was strange, but even stranger was that I accepted it.  So the course of the dream was the countdown to this new marriage, and consequently the end of mine.  Such a strange dream.  My wife was not angry with me.  Our marriage was not troubled.  Everything was in fact, just fine and dandy.  Yet, she was going to marry someone else, and even stranger, I was okay with it.  It was days before the said event was to occur and all of a sudden I was filled with heartache and anger and passion.  The dream ended with me begging and pleading with my wife not to leave me.  I professed my undying love for her and said I would do anything to change her mind.I told her that I didn’t know how to live a life without her as my wife.  I was overwhelmed with the desire to win my wife back.  And then I woke up – heart racing, sweating, out of breath.  The dream felt so real, and it literally took me all day to shake the feeling off.  Of course in reality my wife was not planning on leaving me, and I had nothing to fear.  But I have never hugged her more than I did that morning, and I have not let a day go by since that she has not known how greatly and how deeply I love her.

Dream #2:  The next night I dreamed I was walking out of my house to get into my car.  I looked down the street and saw a prostitute going door to door.  She was dressed in complete 70’s attire – big fro, platform shoes, lepoard print tights, and a fake fur jacket.  This is not a normal occurrence in my neighborhood, and for some reason I became deathly afraid of the prostitute.  I ran to my car, fumbled with my keys, and looked over my shoulder.  She had spotted me and was moving very quickly in my direction.  By the time I closed the door, she was in front of my neighbor’s house.  By the time I was backing up, she was right next to my door and banging on the window.  I literally burned rubber trying to get away and drove as fast as I could down the street.  I watched in my rearview as she ran down the street after me.  I was gaining ground when all of a sudden she turned into a giant T-Rex.  Think about that scene in Jurassic Park when the T-Rex is chasing the Jeep – it was exactly like that.  Then, right before the T-Rex prostitute devoured my car, I woke up.  Again – heart racing, sweating, out of breath.

So what do these dreams mean?  I believe God was just giving me some hardcore imagery of what it takes to preserve love and marriage and purity.  You have to fight for it!  You must fight for your marriage and love and purity everyday. 

Dream #1: While my wife has no intention of running off with another man and while our marriage is pretty healthy and normal, I still have to daily fight for my marriage.  Too often we (men especially) think that just because we put a ring on her finger means that we don’t have to continue to woo our wives.  Nothing is further from the truth.  You don’t just throw some seeds in the ground and expect to have a “yard of the month” garden.  You have to tend it.  You have to water it.  You have to weed it.  It requires work and maintenance.  And so it is with marriage.  We must fight and labor for the health of our marriages.

Dream #2: Jesus teaches in the Bible to flee from immorality.  He says the devil is a prowling lion, waiting for an opportunity to devour us.  Apparently he is a T-Rex in my dreams (I’ve always had a strong interest in dinosaurs).  And while there are no prostitutes walking up and down my street, the opportunity for immorality is easily available through multiple mediums on a daily basis.  Again, men are especially susceptible to these temptations, and we must diligently flee from immorality. 

All in all, the general consensus of men is that “things will work out.”  It is a passive strategy, one that “hopes” nothing bad will happen.  But we have to wake up and realize that passive will not cut it in this culture.  The thing about temptation is that it is so tempting.  A little doesn’t seem so bad, and then a little more, and a little more, and before you know it you have been devoured.   We must fight! 

Even though she probably already knows it, tell your wife that you love her.  Even though that scene is only about 30 seconds long, turn the channel.  Even though all the other guys are telling those jokes, walk away from the conversation.  Even though you don’t think  you have time, stop and pray for your family.  Now more than ever our society needs men who will fight for love and marriage and purity.  If Jeff Goldblum can beat a T-Rex, so can we.

It could have just been something you ate, or it could be something that is going to eat you.