Dreams and Nightmares

By: Ayana Bryant-Weekes

What's the difference between a dream and a nightmare? Technically, both area succession of images, thoughts, or emotions that pass through the mind during sleep, however, a nightmare is a type of dream, one that brings feelings of helplessness, extreme anxiety, sorrow, etc. At times these images can be extremely vivid and seemingly real; other times, they can be vague and confusing. Sometimes we forget them as soon as we wake up and other times they are easy to recall and stick with us for a long time. 

Of course, some dreams occur when we're not asleep. Some dreams come to us by intuition and imagination; that "little something" on the inside that sparks and indescribable passion, and drive to achieve a goal or satisfy a purpose. We dream of what we'll become in our careers, who we'll meet in our love life, where we'll travel to and so many other fill-in-the-blank details about our lives that cause us to look and plan ahead. Sometimes, if we're not careful, these dreams, these amazing desires we have for ourselves turn into nightmares when fear, laziness, discouragement, distraction and other negative factors creep in and cause us to deviate from our plans and even shy away from the plans that God has for us. 

There's a saying that says, "If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough" I won't speak for everyone, but my dreams seem like nightmares because they are so big and so beyond what I think my capabilities are and if I'm completely honest, my plans for 2016 SCARE ME! These plans are going to push me into a new life season that is uncharted territory for me... but, I'd like to suggest that this "fear"of our dreams, doesn't qualify them as "nightmares", like I said before, fear, laziness, discouragement and distraction are what turn our dreams into nightmares and I think that instead of fear (since fear is a crippling illusion of inadequacy) the nervous jitters we experience before beginning something new is exactly how we know we're going in the right direction and motivates us to push ourselves and dive right in while fear hinders and stifles us and our potential. 

Last Sunday, my pastor, Bishop J. Drew Sheard, preached "The Necessity of Forgetfulness" in which he gave us a lot of things to forget in 2016. Among them were: past failures, handicaps, and fears. There were others but these three stood out the most because these were the very things causing me to second guess and even down size my dreams. As we reflect on 2015 and sit at the threshold of 2016, let's evaluate our goals and dreams. Let's make sure we aren't staying our comfort zones and being small minded but also, let's be sure not to turn our own dreams into nightmares.

My prayer for 2016 is that I continue to trust God at new levels, continue to trust His work and power in me and to release things that cause me to doubt His plan for my life.