Just Dreaming?

Yesterday morning I awoke after having a strange dream.  In the dream we still had our Christmas tree and decorations around the house, although in real life they are now safely boxed up and put back in the loft until next Christmas.  The strange thing about it though was that the tree was without decorations - no baubles or tinsel, none of the extras.  Other decorations and candles were also missing.  It would seem that we had been burgled and so in my dream I began to look around the house to see what else had been taken.  Not much, only things of not great importance.  The things that were necessary to modern living - the computer, mobile phone, purse with some money - were all intact.  It was as though whoever had been in our home didn't want those things.  Then I woke up and was glad that it had been a dream.  It wasn't a nice thought that we had been burgled even if the things that were taken were not things of great expense.


But it left me thinking!  Whenever I have a strange dream about something quite out of the blue or something that had not been on my mind, then I begin wondering if it was actually God who was wanting to impart some truth or idea in my mind.  He has been known to talk to us through stories, pictures and dreams.  And so I began thinking that the things that had been taken were things of adornment, embellishments, not the important bits.  The nativity scene was not taken but the glitter and baubles were.  Although many of the baubles had personal significance and brought back memories from the past, they were not essential to celebrating the Christmas story and message.  Other possessions were still intact and not even touched.  


Is it that there are things in my life that are just extras with no real value in the long term?  I don't think that it refers to material possessions.  I'm not one to crave after the latest gadget or get impressed with the biggest or most expensive anything.  If it does what it's supposed to and serves its purpose then an item is ok with me.  Seeing and working amongst the poverty of the shanty towns of South America has helped me to get my priorities right as far as material possessions are concerned.  So it would seem that the decorations are possibly to do with non-material matters.  So was this about Christmas or about religion in general?  Was it about things or my attitude to things?  I don't make New Year's resolutions but it seems that God has done that for me this year.  I feel that my challenge is to become more aware of where God is leading me and what are the things that need to be stripped away and done away with.  What are the things that are essential and what are the decorations - even if they do have some emotional memories for me?   And by the way I won't be getting rid of my actual Christmas decorations - I don't think that was the point of the dream.  Or was it just a weird dream after all? 

P.S.  Any thoughts or comments are welcome.