... your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams (Acts 2:17 TNIV).

Dreams are funny things, aren't they? But how do you explain or describe a dream?

One kind of dream is what might be called a night dream, dreams we dream while sleeping. The word "dream" is defined as "a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep" (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Of course, night dreams can be so very different to different people. Some people hate night dreams, because they bring images they fear. Some people, on the other hand, have dreams that are pleasant or that let them experience things they could not in real life.

Dreams of this nature do have some draw backs. First, they are not real. Second, we forget them so quickly. Often, when we awake, we remember the dream vividly, but after only a few minutes we begin to forget the dream.

We also use the word dream in another way. We can call these life dreams. We speak of these dreams to describe those things we imagine, wish, or hope we can do or see done. It deals with our personal visions or goals for ourselves or someone else.

Paul talks about his dream when writing the people in Philippi. He writes:

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14 NIV).

A paraphrase would be, "I'm working hard to fulfill my dream of one day winning the prize of heaven, which God promised me."

Some people dream of serving God in some special way. Some dream of having a great church. Some dream of having a godly family or a godly spouse. Some dream of being missionaries, teachers, preachers, or one of many great things. Yet just as with our night dreams, we often forget our spiritual dreams and visions for ourselves.

Are you a dreamer by night or a dreamer by day?
T.E. Lawrence expressed it this way:

All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible (Wikiquote).

Are you a dreamer by night or a dreamer by day? Do you have sleeping dreams or life dreams? Some people think that they are too old, too young, don't have enough education, or they are too limited in some way to dream anything of substance. I personally don't think I will ever stop dreaming. When you stop dreaming you begin to die inside. I want to serve God and do something for him and his church as long as I draw a breath.

How about you; are you still dreaming or have you given up?