Dream & interp: Swimming, dead shark and more

The night before last, I had this dream:

I dreamt that I was swimming in the ocean for a very long time. It was pleasant, but difficult at the same time. The salt water felt good on my body. The waves & swells weren’t so big that they totally hindered my progress.

At one point, noticing that I was completely out of sight of any land mass, I came over one swell and spotted in the nearby distance a black fin - a shark! My heart raced in fear and anticipation of what to do and where to go! No one else was around, no other help available. As I peaked on the next swell, the fin was obviously closer, yet moving oddly.

My heart screamed in panic as I looked for other fins and saw none. As I neared the fin (not voluntarily, but by virtue of the swells and current), I realized that the shark was dead and simply floating in the water. I dove under water to watch just as the final buoyancy gave way and the shark sank slowly out of sight.

I woke up.

Here is the interpretation that one friend sent to me:

I think this is an amazing dream. First thing to notice is that you are an active participant in the dream, not just watching for the sidelines. For me, your swimming "for a very long time" which is both pleasant and difficult is your time in Slovakia. There was enough buoyancy in the salt water to keep you floating. There was enough work/purpose in Slovakia to keep you floating, in place. I find your use of the work "pleasant" interesting as opposed to saying your swim was exhilarating or exciting.

Since you have been swimming a long time, it seems like you must be moving away from something, toward some new horizon, since you aren't swimming in place. 

Your journey has now taken you out of sight of what is comfortable to a swimmer... land mass. You can no longer see where you left from, nor can you see the land mass you are heading to. Perhaps the first land mass represents what you are leaving behind - ministry in Slovakia, GEM, people, etc. And again, to point out, you are making the journey, not thinking about it or watching someone else, or even watching yourself. Perhaps this is saying that even though you may feel the "leaving" is at the end of May, the "leaving" has already started. Also, the unseen land mass represents the unknown "new". And even though it is unknown, you are still bravely, actively swimming towards it, without knowing what the "it" is.

So... when one normally sees as shark ... what do they do? They try to get away from the shark - climb in the boat, get back to land. What did you do? You kept going... very brave!  You conquered those "what to do"  and "where to go", and probably stayed still, which is a strong position, did not panic and thrash.  God often asks us to just stand still - be still. Both offensive and defensive.
You experienced panic and your heart screamed in fear ..... very normal reactions, but you didn't die from fright, you didn't thrash, you didn't turn around and go back in the opposite direction (from where you started the swim) etc. You "were still" - exactly the right position for dealing with a shark, right? You didn't like it, but you confronted the source of your fear, only to find out it was dead - it had no power. The only power the shark had was what you gave it ....  you made it a fearful creature, when he was dead. 

I think it is great that you watched your "fear shark" sink out of sight - you let it go, you didn't hold on to it, you didn't try to revive it ... I am guessing that you felt relief at watching your fear go away.

I would do a little study on the shark. Obviously he is a predator and a very efficient, deadly one - just like satan. God chose this dream symbol for a reason. Perhaps the fears that you are confronting and letting go of are not only deadly but they are also "prehistoric". I know that when I think of sharks, I think they are kind of prehistoric. I guess what I am trying to say is that these fears are long-standing, old ones, but deadly. And of course the enemy means them to be deadly and wants to you keep "holding on" to them. But you are letting them sink.

I think this dream is full of victory, full of leaving the old behind, and actively going for the new.

Just some first thoughts.

God's catalyst!

Wow. God has a way of lighting a fire under us sometimes, doesn’t He?

In short, He has cancelled our Big House English Camp for this summer. (long story, but I won’t go into it here).

As well, our last paycheck (for February) was 1/3rd (30%) of what we need to live here and that on top of last year’s average of 52% income level.

And since we were planning to return to the USA in August/September anyway, we have decided - prayerfully - to return to the USA at the end of May.

BAM!

All of a sudden, we have 3 months to pack everything up and make the move back.

We still don’t have a place to live in the US (we’re trying to settle in the San Diego area). We don’t have a vehicle lined up there either. We have to decide whether or not to sell our car here in Slovakia, where to store our stuff, etc.

But, that’s all stuff that I call “details” and the bigger picture is what God is doing in our lives and how He is directing us. There is a lot to consider. A lot to pray about. A lot of options and opportunities “out there” and we’re praying for God’s wisdom and direction.

Thanks for praying with us!