Discernment
Testing whether a dream genuinely means something, and where it comes from.
Discernment is the Christian practice of testing: not every impression, prompting or dream is simply accepted.
The usual questions are whether it accords with scripture, whether it moves you toward love and patience or toward your own rightness, and whether people you trust recognise something in it.
With dreams this is the heart of the tradition. A dream may hold meaning, but the meaning is not drawn from the dream alone.
Related terms
- Joseph the dream interpreter The biblical dream interpreter; the model for interpretation within the tradition.
- Vision A striking image, classically distinguished from an ordinary dream.
- Water and baptism Water as an image of cleansing and new beginning in the Christian tradition.
- Angel Messenger; in the Bible often the figure who speaks in a dream.
- Jacob's ladder Jacob's dream of a ladder between earth and heaven.
- Daniel Biblical prophet who interpreted the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar.
- Revelation The last book of the Bible, full of visions and images.
- Holy Spirit In Christian faith the Spirit of God, often depicted as a dove.
- Grace God's unearned goodness and forgiveness, a core concept in Christianity.