Five Minute Fridays: Real

I’m joining The Gypsy Mama’s Five Minute Friday: Real. Won’t you join us?

Real.

I find that I often live in a world of an alternate reality – a dream world. And I wonder if my dreams are the real world that I think I want to live in or if they are simply there to convince me that the real world that I live in is the best possible world for me.

Have you ever woken up from a dream that was so vivid and real-to-life that you wondered if it had actually happened or if you were dreaming? Lately I’ve been having very real dreams while sleeping – including people and places from my real life that are interacting in plausible ways that are definitely not real to my current life.

Are these “real” dreams a reflection of my heart’s true desires – the life I wish I lived – or are they simply a dream of what might have been had I taken different paths in life, in an attempt to convince me that my real life is better than my dream life?

Jeremiah 17.9 reminds me that “the heart is deceitful above all else, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

I must trust that God is in control of all of life – my real life and my dream life – and I must continue to daily walk in reality of the plan He is revealing for me, not living in the world of my dreams.

He is the God of my reality!

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Category: Miscellaneous

Tag: Five Minute Friday

Beth

I absolutely can identify with this. A while back I had to be intentional about “putting away” dream ideas and letting THIS life be real, be my life. I would escape to a daydream to fall asleep – I found it was the best way to fall asleep quickly – and I would weave these stories of how I wished life COULD be. Eventually I realized that it wasn’t helping me at all, in fact, it was probably hurting in some small ways. I love your ending quote: ” must trust that God is in control of all of life – my real life and my dream life – and I must continue to daily walk in reality of the plan He is revealing for me, not living in the world of my dreams.” His plan keeps proving to be better than what I dream.

http://blog.ashleypichea.com Ashley Pichea

I find that I escape to daydreams when I want to stay asleep in the mornings {rather than getting out of bed}… I often want to “finish” the dream I was having to see how it plays out. I’ve been trying to work on “finishing” the dreams in a way that isn’t “harmful” to my REAL life and that honors God.

http://www.asimpleprincess.blogspot.com Kerri Smith

So true! Sometimes I have found my dreams have caused me to have discontentment in my real life….it is then I need to refocus my eyes on Him!
I love your last line and say it with you: “He is the God of my reality!”
BTW, thanks for your visit!

http://blog.ashleypichea.com Ashley Pichea

I continually need reminders to refocus on Him… thanks for your encouragement!

Clajgray

Dreams can mean many things. God *could* be showing you something or it could be a *pizza dream*. I encourage you to write them down, and pray. God truly is the the God of your reality and He will show you what each dream means! Blessings!

http://blog.ashleypichea.com Ashley Pichea

That’s a great idea! I find myself often seeking God in prayer when dreams “could” be reality. It’s definitely a discipline I need to continue to work on!

http://janicejohnson.wordpress.com/ Janice J

I like this, Ashley! Literal dreams, daydreams, reality… they can get kind of swirled together. Reminds me of the interaction between the spiritual and physical realms. Here, too, we aren’t always sure what is real. But regardless, God is Lord of all.

http://blog.ashleypichea.com Ashley Pichea

Thanks for the feedback and encouragement, Jan! I like how you referenced the spiritual/physical realms, too – adds a different dimension to the conversation!

Anonymous

Ashley, you took such a fascinating direction with this. Dreaming life vs. real life can be quite a paradigm shift. Really enjoyed this reflection!