GAZING AND DREAMING

I often find myself gazing at various things intently to try and see them more carefully and completely. I don’t mean just staring, but gazing. Gazing: ‘to gaze is to look steadily and intently at something, especially at that which excites admiration, curiosity, or interest.” (Dictionary.com)

To gaze is different than daydreaming which is: ‘a pleasant visionary usually wishful creation of the imagination.’ What I am trying to describe here is an idea I am more fully understanding: that gazing and dreaming are very similar. We can receive messages either way. Both must be cleansed and useful by experience, conscience and Scripture. Of course the major difference in gazing is to be conscious and dreaming (night/sleep dream) is to be unconscious. The things that fill a gaze or dream can be good or bad.

The distinction I want to make here is simply this: a certain kind of gazing can produce deep and meaningful dreams like dreams in our sleep. I don’t think they should ever be completely ignored without some discernment. I suppose all this is important to me because I am a dreamer.

“You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” Jesus