What Dreaming Means to Us

At our wedding June 30, 2006, the close friend and pastor who married us shared an acronym to symbolize our marriage and give us a charge to remember. This word is special to us and brings a smile to our face each time we see or hear it. The word is DREAM. We have recently been reminded to continue dreaming, even when we feel like our dreams can easily be taken away. Here are some of the words that he shared at our wedding ceremony...

"The word I have selected to help you recall my charge here today is the word D R E A M. One of the reasons I thought of it for you two, is that Dreaming is something we do both consciously and subconsciously, both awake and asleep. I hope this is the way that your love grows in your marriage both consciously and subconsciously, both awake & asleep. Further, I think you will enjoy the way in which scripture uses it and find there is much more to it than initially meets the eye if we apply it across the relationship that is shared between man and a woman. It was in a dream that Jacob saw a ladder reaching to heaven, and it was there that God promised he and his descendants the land which would become theirs. Later when he battled with the Lord all night, we would come to understand the blessing to be the blessing to the people, because it would be there that God would change Jacobs name to Israel. Through the dreams of a butcher and baker Joseph came to power in Pharaohs house which was ultimately Gods provision for the entire nation of Israel and through dreams Gideon found the strength to go defeat the Midianites which to this day is a story told that reflects the faithfulness of God to all of his people. Dreams were part of the stories of Job, and of Daniel, and even Solomon. Isaiah had a vision or dream of the Lord high and lifted up that resulted in the words Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, and John in a vision shared with us his dream in the book revelation and about how we will ultimately spend eternity. Still, I think it was the dreams of couple that would become husband and wife that are my personal favorites in all the Bible, because it was in the dream of a man named Joseph in which the name of his son Jesus would be revealed, and in the dream of a young virgin named Mary that the greatest news of all would be shared with mankind she would bear a son and He would be the savior of the world.

“D” and D is for Dream. Take time to dream of the places you will go and the people you will love. Dream of laughter and of the Joy. Dream of children and of play. Dream of starry nights filled with togetherness. Dream of sandy beaches and ocean waves. Dream of snow capped mountains and the warmth you will bring each other there. Dream of friends, dream of family, and dream of fellowship. But remember the dream of true fellowship will always be something that becomes a reality only within the confines of your relationship to Christ. May your relationship to Him allow all of your dreams to come true.

“R” is for REMEMBER and RELATIONSHIP I pray that you will always remember to seek God first in your relationship. Satan will tempt you to look to each other to fill voids that God alone was designed to fill. It is important to remember that Man (Adam) was created first and existed alone in relationship with God. Only later was Eve introduced to the story, & only after God had been in relationship with Adam alone. While this day signifies the joining of your lives together in relationship, it does not supercede your individual need for relationship with your creator first. Both of you will look to each other for support and comfort in ways that you up to now have only dreamed about. However, it will be insufficient to meet your deepest needs apart from God. Shaun, both you and Rachel must continue to seek God first in order to find the fullness of relationship He desires for your marriage, and as the Priest of the home, that role falls foremost on your shoulders.


“E” is for ENJOY. Take time to enjoy one another, to esteem one another – On the sixth day God created man, and even before that day was through, scripture records the first thing we know of that was not good. “It is not good for man to be alone” (2:18). Not even one day went by before Adam realized there was not a suitable helpmeet for him, so God gave him Eve as the perfect gift and companion. Shaun and Rachel, I pray there is never even a single day go by where you do not esteem each other as better than yourself and realize you are God’s perfect gift to each other to be enjoyed.

“A” is for Anticipate. Shaun, these words are more for you, because if you fail to anticipate and always wait to respond, as the leader and protector of the home, it would be sinful for you, but anticipate is a good word for you too Rachel. Anticipate each others needs. There are countless ways in which your anticipation towards each other will glorify God. You see from this day forward Shaun, Rachel is Gods provision for you. And Rachel, Shaun is His provision for you. Further, Webster’s says anticipate is: “to look forward to, especially with pleasure; to expect. Although anticipate is not found in the New Testament, there is a word that means to look forward to something with pleasure and expectation, it is HOPE. There is great hope as you anticipate all that God desires for the two of you in this covenant relationship that you are beginning with one another today.

The last letter of Dream is “M” and M is for MOVE. And is must be a very specific kind of movement. You must Move-in, towards each other, to draw closer, to look to each other, to lean in. You have enjoyed moving towards each other in this joyous time of courtship. However, there are times ahead that I suspect may not be as exhilarating, and you will still need to move-in. Into each others fears, into each others disappointments, and into each others pain. While I pray Gods mercy protects you from temptation of any kind, He has ordained our neediness and suffering as a way to draw us into a closer relationship that is completely dependant on Him. Always Move-in to find your Dreams. "

Something that we have realized is that dreaming is also risky. We have learned that we must be willing to dream in not only our marriage but in our relationships with others. The hard part is the risk that is associated with those dreams. You must be willing to risk in order to see your dreams fulfilled.