Caribbean Dream of the Caribbean Dream Part Two
This was the first time I dreamt of a previous dream. Upon waking up, it took me a moment to wrap my brain around what had just occurred. This dream took place three years after the first dream (Caribbean Dream Part One in 2014).
Caribbean Dream of the Caribbean Dream Part Two
In this dream I was dreaming I was in the Caribbean and I was having a dream about a previous dream where I was also in the Caribbean (Caribbean Dream Part One). I was in the same spot off the coastline and surrounded by the beautiful, crystal blue waters. I delved into the water and swam through the coral reefs toward the other side of the shoreline.
In my current dream, I was explaining to those who were with me in the water that in order to get to the other side they would need to do what I did. I told them to swim south through the coral reefs.
I proceeded to give them directions by pointing up and down in the air as though I were holding a map. I focused on the right side of the “map,” explaining we would go east, yet there was an understanding we would head west. I proceeded to say that to go west we would have to proceed east, stay on the right side, make a sharp u-turn south, and finally head west.
When we swam through the coral reefs and came above water to the coastline, we saw people sprawled on the rocks, basking in the sun, and jumping off the cliffs. (It looked like the cliffs of Cinque Terre, Italy.) We climbed the rocks and those I was with did the same. It was necessary for me to move on to a more beautiful destination, but my group wanted to stay. I would go alone and I didn’t hesitate to leave.
When I left I sensed the bend around the cove would be a bit more challenging, but also the waters, coral reefs, and the coastline would be more spectacular and nothing compared to what we had just swam through. When I made it to the other side, it was indeed more spectacular. There was a boat. Excited I could go even further, I jumped in and set sail.
End of dream. (December 1, 2017)
God began preparing our hearts for new journeys of discovery, specifically in ministry in 2014 and was showing us what had been fulfilled and that more was and is to come.
Insights and promises fulfilled:
Dreaming of a previous dream: In this instance, dreaming of a previous dream has a double meaning and God is reinforcing a specific message:.
A recurring dream with a message, “it will happen.” Genesis 41:32 It solidified there would be unforeseen change.
Dreaming about dreams and dreaming them in a dream is God reaffirming the literal work he has called me to, i.e., learn and teach about dreams.
Caribbean Sea: God reinforced his Word; commissioning me with a purpose. The sea is vast - the “harvest is great, and the workers are few,” as these dreams so aptly portray. I will continue along the journey and follow the “coastline” where God leads. Luke 10:2
Get moving: Both dreams reinforced moving forward and making progress, even if I go it alone. In reality, going it alone may not mean just physically. Some will not always support what God has called us to do. When it looks different, people aren’t comfortable and may question what you are doing for the Lord. Obey God. (A later post will include how part of this was fulfilled when God sent me to India and Rick was unable to join me.)
Map: The “map” is seen with spiritual eyes and is made visible by living a life immersed in God’s presence. I will hear God’s voice and know when and which way to go when I remain drenched in the power of the Holy Spirit. “Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:21
Risk: Go all in for Christ. I can’t leave part of me in the west and take part of me to the east. It’s all or nothing. When God says go west, east, or south, I pray I have the same courage and excitement to dive in. (You may find this humorous, but I am praising God the dream excluded going north, where it’s cold and there is snow. I’m praying this is literal.
Believers and unbelievers: Both dreams reveal the heart of man, both spiritually and physically.
Believers: How many of us are too busy to dive all in for Christ? We’re simply not interested in the greater things of God. “Let somebody else do it,” though we don’t say it out loud. We convince ourselves it’s best that somebody else get the job done. I recommend every Christian take an hour in solitude and make a full surrender of the heart. “Send me, Lord.” For most, he will keep you where you are, but the “go” is so often of the heart. To say those words and mean it doesn't come easily. Are you willing?
Unbelievers: Many are closed off to hearing the gospel because they are consumed by the beauty of the world and they say, “I’m a good person and I have a great life.” They don’t think they are missing anything and there aren’t any Christians bold enough to tell them “good” does not get them to heaven. And sadly, they don’t see Christians acting like the Christ they are hearing about.
No matter one’s excuse, staying in one place too long is similar to what happens in the sun. You’ll either “burn out,” or you’ll shrivel up, dry out, even die (spiritually or physically). God created us for purpose and progress.
Boat: - I didn’t know which way to go at the end of the first dream. I believe it indicates there are times we’re meant to stay where we are. In this dream, however, it reveals there is a time to go and God provided the means to go. The directions were clear as to when and which way to go, even though there was still no visible, tangible map. The map I “held” was my reliance on the presence of the Holy Spirit and what I can be certain God is speaking Spirit to spirit. I Corinthians 2 Galatians 5:25
I had the faith to go and got into the boat.
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.” Matthew 4:19-20
In 2014 I never could have anticipated the Lord asking me to jump into unchartered waters. I am certain if he had given me a map, I would have found a way to stay on “land.” What you don’t see are the painful “strokes” it took for me to get to the shoreline, the uneven paths I had to take to get to my destinations when he commissioned me to do things I never set out to do. Some of the new the Lord asked me to jump into are as follows:
2016: teresaodden.com blog was launched.
2018: Submerged Into the Presence of God was published.
2019: I spoke in India about dreams.
First time speaking publicly.
The first message God told me to give was about my sin of disobedience. I shared my failures in an unfamiliar land and with people I did not know. The Lord humbled me at the onset. I thank God he never gives up on me. (Message forthcoming.)
From east to west to south to west and now living on the east coast of the United States, these dreams unfolded in ways I never could have imagined. In February 2020 Rick and I will end our time on the east coast. We don't know what or where there is. We are in the waiting. Pray for us.
“Waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.
“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” Romans 8:25-28 MSG
Related: Caribbean Dream Part One
