“And it shall come to
pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young
men shall see visions.”
Joel 2:28
It is in this spirit that I compose this letter to you son
for I have dreamed dreams as of late. I have seen visions. This comes somewhat
as a surprise to me. Although I have both seen visions and dreamed dreams
before, both have occurred only a few times throughout my life. Indeed, such
experiences have been so rare to me that I naturally esteem each one to be of
great importance and expend much thought and energy into gaining an understanding
of their meaning.
The first of these dreams occurred several weeks ago and was
followed by the second only a few days later. I shall describe (as best as I am
able) each of these in turn.
Dream #1
I don’t recall any origin or beginning from my first dream.
I had no clear understanding of where I was in this dream except that I perceived
that I was still on the Earth during my mortal life. I don’t recall many of the
details of things that were happening around me except that I, along with a large
number of others, was heavily engaged in the middle of a war in the midst of a
great battlefield. This war was being waged with swords, shields and armor as
in days of old rather than modern warfare with firearms and heavy equipment. Although
I don’t remember seeing any actual scenes of death or bloodshed I had the
distinct impression that there were numerous people on the battlefield who had
fallen victim and been slain by my enemy.
I recall looking out and seeing what appeared to be a
collective body of enemies so numerous that they appeared as a great sea of
blackness about to descend upon me and the forces I was fighting with. Just at
this moment, I recall looking downward and seeing my physical body becoming illuminated
with a brilliant and all-consuming light that was quickly spreading across my whole
being. As I looked at this I marveled that my skin shown so brightly with a
pure whiteness that I had not seen before at any time. It appeared as though my
body would burn up so great was the intensity of the whiteness. Yet no burning
occurred.
As I continued to marvel at this I looked to the left side
of my torso and noticed a gaping wound near the area of my left kidney. This
wound was about the size of a softball and appeared to be black and badly
infected. So bad was the blackness that there was no blood present, it
appearing as if this area of my body had ceased living. Indeed it was as though
there were a five inch hole cut out from my body, extending from the front of
my stomach all the way through to my back. I recall being greatly startled by
this discovery, but immediately having the overwhelming impression that I needn’t
worry about this wound. It was not spreading and would not consume me. I also
remember feeling that there was no pain associated with this wound. I could see
it with my eyes but could feel nothing of its effects.
As all of this was occurring I beheld that the light which
was spreading quickly and consuming all other parts of my body began to
converge on this wound. As it approached the blackened and infected skin the
light slowed its progression until it came to a near standstill. As this
occurred I discerned in my mind the thought that the time was now at hand for
me to close up this wound; that it was now time for me to allow the light to
heal this area of my body. It was at this moment that I looked up and beheld
the black sea of my enemies descending upon me and those I was fighting with.
Just as they were about to engage us the dream ended and I found myself
remembering what I had seen and felt with great intensity.
Dream #2
Several days after my first dream, I had a second one which was
very different from the first. In this second dream I beheld that I, along with
a large group of other people, was on a cruise ship that was a long distance
from any bodies of land. I recall that the ship was seemingly in the middle of
nowhere and that it had no clear destination, at least not one that I knew of.
While on this ship I recall that the top deck was full of amusements, amenities
and activities that many of the people were engaged in. Of all these there was
a giant water slide that seemed to be the most popular of all the attractions.
To go down this slide however, a person was first required to put on a special
covering that was similar to a pair of pants. It was understood that this
covering was done as a precaution to protect a person while going down the
slide.
Along with the others, I recall putting on the requisite
clothing and going down the slide several times. After one trip down however, I
saw that there was an entry way a short distance from the bottom of the slide.
Curious to see what was inside, I ignored the allure of another trip down the
slide and instead entered the entry way. As I did so I found that it was merely
an outer door which led to a small lounge with several others doors connected
to it. Although it was shut so that I could not see inside, I perceived that
the door immediately to my right was a conference room and that President Clay
(my current Stake President for whom I serve as Stake Executive Secretary) was
inside conducting a meeting. I could hear his voice but had no perception of
what he was saying. I did however, perceive that although the door to this room
was directly in front of me, the room on the other side of the door was far
removed from the other areas of the ship I had previously visited; as if
entering the room through this door was akin to leaving the ship and entering a
new place altogether.
As this occurred I felt the desire to enter the room where
he was, but simultaneous to this desire I felt an intense and sure knowledge
that I had to remove the special covering from the slide before I could enter
the conference room. As I questioned this in my mind, I received the distinct
impression that although this covering had been necessary to me previously as a
protection mechanism, that it now was a hindrance to me. Furthermore, I felt
impressed that unless I removed this covering I would never be able to enter
where President Clay was, but would instead remain outside in the lounge forever.
I debated this for a short time in my mind and finally
arrived at the decision that I should remove the covering and enter the room
with President Clay. I knew that doing so would mean not only nor more trips
down the slide, but that I would be leaving all the amenities and amusements
behind choosing instead to enter the room that was separated from such
activities. As I began to remove the covering the dream ended and I awoke.
While both of these dreams differ greatly, I perceive that
they are connected. I’ve devoted much energy and contemplation to understanding
them and feel as though there is a message contained therein that is intended
for me. I feel as if the Lord is pleased with me and is in the process of
sanctifying and perfecting me. Hence the light that began to consume me in the first
dream. But I also feel as though there is something in my life that is
preventing this edification from being completely immersive in nature. Hence
the gaping wound in the first dream and the covering for the slide in the
second. I don’t feel as if the Lord is displeased with me because of this, in
fact I feel as though whatever it is was necessary for me at some previous
point in my life. Yet I also feel that the Lord is telling me that this portion
of my self must now be left behind; that it’s time to take off this covering
that is holding me back and to allow the light to heal this gaping wound.
Since I experienced these dreams I’ve had one other, which I
perceive is unrelated. I will write about it soon. I miss you, but am happy to
have you as my son. I look forward to our eventual reunion.
With Love,
Your Father
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