My Dream of Societal Break Down

Image taken from calvarycentral.org

I had been having dreams lately that would leave me in a state of dread, yet waking up thinking “that was strange”. No matter how hard I tried, I could never remember the dreams. I had another this morning and this time I remembered it. I don’t usually share my dreams that are like these. By "these", I mean ones that have spiritual implications. But I feel I should share this one.

My family and I were on a farm trip for bible study. We were to meet in a big covered shelter. It looked like a picnic shelter with barn type décor. Outside of the shelter there was a big pond. Inside there was a small warming kitchen. There was a rafter just above where our son was sitting. Our daughter was still out walking toward the shelter with some other girls. 

As I was coming from the area of the kitchen I heard a hissing sound then a rattling sound. I saw a burgundy type snake slithering down toward our son’s head. He saw it but didn't move out of its way. Instead, he was trying to grab it. So I yelled at him to stop and move. I ran to him and covered his head and the snake went back into the rafters. 

A bunch of people were there in the shelter by this point but I couldn't find my husband. So I kept our kids away from the shelter and away from the other people. I went back to the kitchen and a female minister I knew was there. We talked a bit. Then I heard kids screaming. They were on the rafter and the snake was striking at them. I kept saying, “Get down, where are your parents?!” I looked around and all the adults had gone out of the shelter to watch a presentation on the other side of the field. The kids kept screaming and some were jumping off the rafters to get away. When I tried to help, they cursed me because I was “in their way”. 

The last girl up there tried to jump but she was afraid of heights. I ran to get her a chair thinking that maybe it wouldn't seem so far down. As soon as she was about to get down, the snake bit her foot - twice. She fell out the rafter and I saw it was a young girl I had known from a church we went to. Her leg swelled around her sock really bad. So I carried her over to sit on a chair by the pond. I ran to get ice and the minister was said very nonchalantly, that there was no more. So I told her to call 911 and she said, “It will do no good no one can help her now.” So I kept asking the girl where her mom was and she kept getting smart, having an attitude, and refused to answer. I told her I couldn’t help her without her mom, but she didn’t care. 

The next thing I knew she ended up in the pond. The minister and I watched her float for a while. Then the head of an alligator popped up near the edge of the pond by the shelter where we were. I called for her to get out. She refused. I tried to throw food to the alligator but it had already saw her. There were no rocks or anything to throw so a few ladies appeared and we started clanging pots and pans, thinking it would distract the alligator. The noise made a few adults look over and someone asked what was wrong. So we pointed to the alligator and the girl. The person ran back to the group and a mob of people with guns came running. But by that time, the gator had his head on the girl’s lap. She wouldn't fight. So it grabbed her leg, death rolled, and pulled her under. We could see the alligator thrashing, and I kept telling people to shoot. But, some didn't want to kill the animal and some were trying to read a book to see if it was legal to do so. No one would shoot. Then it got dark.

There are so many meanings to this dream that I see:

• Parents aren't there to cover and keep their kids from danger - I found it significant that the snake/serpent was going for my son's head. And at the moment that I covered it, the snake/serpent receded back to the rafters. As parents, it is our responsibility to cover our children - spiritually and physically.
• Children are in danger and have to save themselves, often getting hurt in the process - In the dream, because the adults were distracted by entertainment and are not watching them, or raising them the children were in imminent danger. They had no one to help them so they had to do what they could to save themselves. No one was there to even reprimand them for climbing ON the rafters, which could have prevented the danger in the first place.
• Society has become more concerned with animal rights and laws than people - A child was dying right before the groups eyes. The group was equipped to stop the problem, but chose the animal and laws instead of common sense to save the child. 
• Even with the efforts of others trying to "save the children",  if a child is apathetic about their life, danger is no threat - The child in the dream that was bitten had no concern for her life. She didn't care that she would die - either by the bite or by the alligator. She was apathetic to her situation. Which could have been because she had nothing to live for. So for her, danger and death was no threat but was welcomed.
• The "present-day church" is not paying attention and easily distracted - This was supposed to be a "bible study" time, a "gathering of God's people" if you will, and people left the covering of the shelter because they were more interested in being entertained. No one knew the snake or alligator was even there among them.
• There will be a select few to sound the alarm and there will be a select few to heed the call - In the dream, out of no where, a few women joined me clanging pots and pans. Because of that, a few men came out of the group and went back to warn the others. 

One thing I did find strange about the dream was that I couldn't find my husband. If anyone knows us we are joined at the hip at least 15-24 hours of the day (the other hours he's at work and in work traffic lol). I don't quite know what to make of it. I speculate because the dream seemed to be about today's society it represented the absence of fathers. I speculate that it may also just be that the Father saw fit to let me focus on what I would do and not what we would do. I don't know.

And here is another thing I don't understand. Why I would have this dream with this meaning when I already know these things. I'm guessing the Father wants me to write it down for someone who will one day see it and it rings true for them? If you are reading this, and you are that person, I pray the Father uses this to help you in some way. Outside of that, I'm not sure.

What I am sure about is that those of us as the Father's people, and as a society as a whole have to wake up and look around. I know things have to happen a certain way as prophesied, but there is still time to wake up and not be a part of it. Parents, protect your children. Church folk, pay attention. Society, let's start to value human life. These things won't cure the ills of this world as it grows colder and darker, but it is a starting point. Let's use our time wisely before time is no more.

WAKE UP

What I've Learned Today: How to turn a bunch of nothin into a dream....

Today was about as mundane as days can get. Hubby came home and asked "How was your day?" Now, here's the thing - I ask him that daily, and he actually has an answer. Someone or something ticked him off at work, or a program he's been working on finally started working (he loves small victories), or he had lunch with his co-workers at some nice restaurant, or he took a non-smoking "smoke break" and saw a squirrel chase his tail - what ever it is, he has something to tell me.

But when he asks me, I just sit there like.......

I mean, I appreciate his concern. But my day almost always consists of coercing two kids to finish up their work so that we can move on to something else. Fussing about things I tell them constantly like "PUT SOMETHING ON YOUR FEET!!" or "WHO had the BREAD last??". Or answering to "Mommy....mommy....mommy.....are you in the bathroom?"  I mean, I'm not exactly working on solving the world's economy problems here.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE this life. Many mothers wish they could be home and know that the bills will get paid, spend countless hours with their children, and being able to get involved in different activities without concern of having to "take off". But yeah, asking "how was your day" isn't gonna be any different than yesterday or the day before lol. I think he sensed what I was feeling so he flipped the script on me. He asked me what would I have liked my day to be like.

Errrrm'gerd!! I love that man!!!

Ahhhh-HA! He gets me! I mean what a question! That thing opened up a whole world of possibility that I quickly rattled off. I think part of it was being off in a far land. And he had the nerve to ask if I would take the kids....maaaaan, don't be messin up my dream!! LOL And although I knew none of those things could possibly ever happen, it was nice just to close my eyes and let my mind go for a little bit.

What I've learned today: It's ok to dream of another life, but just remember to appreciate the one you really do have.

A well thought out question from your spouse can make you somehow make you feel appreciated. It's like when they ask it, you know they hear and see and understand your struggle!

Power to da people in da struggle!!! *Moms unite!*