Three Dreams, Four Houses

For years, probably even a couple of decades, I’ve had three re-occurring dreams about three different houses. I'm not sure whether these dreams directly result from specific seasons in my life, information processed throughout each day, or from the occasional late-night indulgence. Regardless, I’ve often pondered the potential significance of the three houses that show up in these dreams. 

House one…

I’m not sure if house one was the first of these houses to appear in a dream, but it is the house that holds the most meaning and significance for me. There are memories and things that took place in the house on Saco St. that will speak to my heart and spirit for as long as I’m alive.

When my mama, sisters, and I moved in with my great-grandmother, I was twelve years old. I started seventh grade at a new school and began adjusting to a change in our family circumstances. It was a difficult season for many reasons; however, living in my great-grandmother’s house provided a sense of comfort that I can’t explain. 

Her name was Clara. And although my memories of her are somewhat limited, I know she was kind, and I know she loved me. She always had apple butter and biscuits in the kitchen, and I adored the tiny juice glasses she poured orange juice into for me when we visited her. A giant Bible with beautiful pictures and hard cinnamon candy in a crystal dish sat on the coffee table in the living room. And a white ceramic cat that she painted hung in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. 

At such an impressionable age, living with Grandma Clara significantly contributed to my growth in empathy and compassion. After we moved in with her, she soon went from needing only some help with day-to-day activities to being entirely bedridden. At twelve, I quickly learned the responsibilities of being a caretaker and how to help my mama with bathing, dressing, and feeding an adult who was fully dependent on those around them. 

While the early memories and time we spent taking care of her greatly impacted my life, I’ll never be able to fully articulate in words what I experienced the morning before my grandmother passed away. 

My mama and grandma slept in a bedroom with twin beds, while my sisters and I shared one king-size bed in the other bedroom. I would set my alarm for 5:30 am each morning, putting it across the room, so I had to get up and walk over to turn it off. I’m not sure why, but I walked across the room that morning and pushed snooze instead of turning the alarm off. I sat on the edge of the bed, contemplating getting back under the covers when I saw a bright light in the mirror above the dresser across the room. I remember feeling confused at first. But the longer I focused on what I saw, the more I understood that what I was looking at was an angel. 

The angel had a look, unlike a human face. Oddly, while it didn’t seem to have a face, I remember feeling like we were gazing at one another. While I studied the form and details of the light, I couldn’t move. Not out of fear but out of unexplainable awe. I’m not sure how long I sat there looking at the bright silhouette, but I remember getting back up to turn the alarm off again when the snooze timer started to buzz, and when I turned around, the light was gone. 

Moments later, like any other morning, I got ready and got into the car with my mama and sisters. We talked about what I had seen that morning on the way to school. While processing the details, we agreed that it must have been an angel. Later that same day, my grandmother passed away…
I can’t help thinking that the reoccurring dream I have about my grandmother’s house is related to the love, growth, and supernatural experiences I had there as a child. Although the angel doesn’t appear in my dreams, I often think of it when I dream about house one. 

House two… 

The second reoccurring dream is puzzling. The house sits across from Mountain View Elementary school in Blue Ridge, South Carolina. I don’t know who has lived there or anything specific about it. In the dream, I am walking around with a childhood friend. I don’t remember what we talk about, but we’re just there. I told that friend about the dream several years ago, and he also has no connection to that house. I’ve had this dream off and on for years, and it remains a mystery to me. 

House three…

I started dreaming of house three during my mid-twenties. Every time I dream of it, I remember the details vividly. I’ve frequently talked about the dream and house with others, contemplating the possible meaning behind the details. The dream about this house is reoccurring, but there have also been variations of the dream over time. Sometimes the house is complete, and other times it is not. 

I’m almost certain the first time I dreamed of this house, the attic was unfinished, and as I walked up the stairs, the top floor began to move around in the sky. Sometimes, pieces of the attic fall, crumbling as the stairs, pieces of wood, and other objects hit the ground. I almost always feel anxious when I wake up from those dreams.

Other times house three is complete. But feeling lost, I’m unable to find my way around. I go up and downstairs, follow hallways, and always end up where I started without getting anywhere. Finished or not, the condition of the top floor always seems to have the most significant impact on how I feel when I wake up from the dream.

House four…

There is a consistent sense of connectedness when I dream of house one, confusion when I dream of house two, and a feeling of uncertainty when I dream of house three. This all brings me to house four. A house that has not appeared in a dream. House four represents me, a house designed by the Father and created with a purpose. 

Thinking about myself as a house built by God provides me with an opportunity to view my life from a different perspective, and I think it’s necessary to consider that here. Imagine with me; house four has many rooms, a basement, the main floor, and an attic. Some of the rooms could use some TLC and updating. And from the ground up, the rooms in house four represent places I’ve been, the weight I’ve carried, an individual worldview, values, love, strength, endurance, thoughts, emotions, the condition of my spirit, and who I am in Christ. 

I wonder how different I would choose to live if I had a reoccurring dream about the condition of house four?

It’s fascinating how God unexpectedly connects moments in time, events, and circumstances in our lives. I believe my connection to house one represents a sense of childlike faith and spiritual growth. It’s a house of warmth, compassion, and love. 

I believe house two speaks to reaching out rather than reaching in for answers. Perhaps I wake up confused each time I have that dream because I haven’t yet asked the Lord for clarity. And as for house three, I believe the inconsistencies of the top floor represent the ways the enemy uses battles of the mind and how far I still have to go with letting go of the fear of uncertainty.  

House four is not part of a reoccurring dream. It's a place where God gives the guidance needed to maintain and sustain each room the way He intends. House four is a dwelling place that requires living in the present long enough to look forward to learning more about freedom, patience, and purpose. 

The year I chose patience as my focus word, I often referred to Romans, chapter 12 as a point of reference. I guess you could say the Lord recurringly used this scripture to speak to me that year…and here we are yet again. 

In Romans chapter 12, Paul writes,

“1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. 

So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. 

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, 

“I will take revenge;

I will pay them back,” 

says the LORD. 

20 Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them. 

If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. 

In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” 

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” Romans 12:1-21. NLT

From 2020, the notes in the margin of my Bible say, 

“Boldy wait. There is strength in patience.”

Because God is who He is, I believe there may be dreams sent to us as divine messages. Whether immediately or within years, in His perfect time, He may reveal the purpose and meaning behind the reoccurring details we’ve desperately held onto over time. Whether brought to us through dreams, visions, words, or other methods, He continues to build us- connecting and bringing us full circle as we carefully maintain and nurture the rooms of our individual homes.