Dreams and Lessons

I have been interested in dreams for a long time. I had a dream last night that touched me is why I am writing about this, but I will get to that in a moment.

Many years ago I did a paper on Dreams for a class I was taking.  Though I learned a lot about "dreaming" it was all from a scientific understanding and perspective about dreams.

From an early age in life I have had dreams that have impacted me.  These dreams could have just been dreams but they were dreams that helped me see things differently.  I can't say I always could interpret or understand the meaning of the dream or if they were anything more than just a dream, but to me they were more.

The first dream that I can recall happened when I was a young child.  I remember it clearly.  I was sitting in the back seat of a car with my mother and father in the front seat.  I was constantly being poked and bothered by something behind me.  No matter what I did I could not get that figure of a person to leave me alone.  They would continue despite my efforts to be rid of them to poke and prod me.  I remember thinking about the dream after having it and my very young, inexperienced mind interpreted that person to be what I then only knew as the devil.  I can see this dream clearly in my mind as I did right after I had it.  I felt like that has been with me so strongly as I feel that Satan has never left me alone.

Another dream I had in my teenage years involved a car and lots of snakes.  I am not sure there is or was a message about this dream, but the situation was I had gotten out of a car only to find the ground surrounded by snakes.  I would have to learn when, where and how to walk to my destination without letting those snakes bite me.

I have had a handful more dreams since then that have taught me to beware of something or dreams that showed me how to do something or how important something was.  These dreams are in real life form, not strange, not weird, but if you were to see the dream as a story on television they would just be a story line, but when measured up against what was going on in my life at that time, there was a clear meaning to those dreams that I was able to understand.

Last night, I dreamed that outside of my home was a poisonous snake with a piranha like head.  

 

This snake was a threat to my family constantly causing much despair.  I had finally had enough of the taunting and fear this snake was bringing to me and my family.  So, I went directly up to the snake, put out my hand, being perfectly aware that he would bite me, but I didn't care, I had a greater purpose in mind. The snake, with all his sharp teeth did indeed clasp down on my hand.  At that point I could carry out my plan.  I used that hand to apply as much force upon the snakes head as I could. With my hand in the snakes mouth, I pressed the snakes head against the concrete ground, I was able to "CRUSH" the head of this snake.

Perhaps to some that dream is merely a dream, to me it is hope.  The dream did continue.  I went to the doctor afterwards to find out the consequences from his bite.  The amazing results was that the only damage I received was to my flesh where the teeth had touched.  No poison had gotten into my body...none!  Now the part I don't like about this dream is just a few days after this happen, I was walking in that same area and the snake I had crush was up and moving around.  He was severely damaged and not doing well so at that time, I was able to step on his head and finish crushing his head to nothing.  I would have liked the first crushing to have been the end of that dream, but I can't forget that it took more than one try to completely crush his head.  Of course, there can and will be more snakes to fight off, but I knew that if I could "CRUSH" the head of the snake that was in my life at this time, how happy I would be.  

Now the question I do have, is what about the snake that someone else is battling?  Can I crush that snake's head? Seems like we all have our own snakes that only we can destroy.   I just hope that the snake in my dream that was causing problems to the whole family is the snake head that I crushed and can crush in real life.  After all, the snake was not just causing problems to just me, it was effecting the WHOLE family.  I was just the one that had the power and means to stop it. 

So whether or not anyone else believes in the power or visions that can come in dreams, I believe. Experience with dreams from a very early age in my life have helped me see something I may have not seen or understood in any other way.  I believe I have still need to understand how to apply this in my life, but I am getting there. I just know it gave me hope but that HOPE lies in my Savior Jesus Christ. For He has the power and has given me power through his atoning sacrifice.

This dream reminded me of Genesis 3:15.

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

In Hebrew, the word bruise means “to crush or grind.” Therefore, the very heel that was bruised will crush Satan and will help us overcome the world and return to our Father. As we use our agency to choose good over evil, the atonement of Christ prepares the way for us to return to our Father in Heaven.

Since Satan has no body and therefore can have no literal children, his seed are those who follow him, both the one-third he led away in the premortal existence and those who follow his enticements in mortality until they come under his power. The seed of the woman refers to Jesus Christ, who was the only mortal born of an earthly mother and a Heavenly Father.


The promise concerning the bruising of the heel and head means that while Satan (as the serpent) will bruise the heel of the Savior by leading men to crucify Him and seemingly destroy Him, in actuality that very act of Atonement will give Christ the power to overcome the power that Satan has over men and undo the effects of the Fall. Thus, the seed of the woman (Christ) shall crush the head of the serpent (Satan and his kingdom) with the very heel that was bruised (the atoning sacrifice).
 
I am ever so grateful for the understanding I have of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for the blessing that I have because of my desire to be obedient, always striving to learn and then walk in righteousness.  If I need to be the protector of my family right now, then I need to stand and take charge of my life, however, I can't do it alone and I must remember not to try and do it alone.  There are some things that only I can do, but the help of others is needful. As I discussed with my father just this morning, even Christ had someone help carry his cross.

Matthew 27:31–38

 

31. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

32. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

A More Determined Discipleship 
By Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy

Life’s episodes may thus take on new meaning. For instance, Simon, the Cyrenian, wandered into Jerusalem on the very day of Christ’s crucifixion and was pressed into service by Roman soldiers to help carry the Savior’s cross. Simon’s son, Rufus, joined the Church and was so well thought of by the Apostle Paul that the latter mentioned Rufus in his epistle to the Romans, describing him as “chosen in the Lord” (Rom. 16:13). Was it, therefore, a mere accident that Simon “who passed by, coming out of the country,” was asked to bear the cross of Jesus? (Mark 15:21).


I am grateful for those who have helped me carry my cross.
  
Carry Your Cross

By Elder Marvin J. Ashton

Of the Quorum of the Twelve

I desire to have the strength I need to put my life in order that through the atonement of Jesus Christ the head of "this serpent" that is so prevalent in my life can be CRUSHED.