Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (deceased) shared:
One of the most memorable and powerful patterns of communication by the Spirit is through dreams. I have learned that when the transition from being fully
asleep to being fully awake is almost imperceptible, it is a signal that the Lord has taught something very important through a dream. (principle 16)
In dreams, I have on occasion been taught lessons that have changed my life. I would like to recount one such lesson.
When I awoke one night from a most disturbing dream, I ached physically, I was saturated with perspiration, and my heart was pounding. Every sense was sharpened. Although the actual dream was extensive, the key lessons communicated can be summarized by references to a few specific experiences in the dream.
In it I found myself in a very different and unknown environment. Everything was strange to me. I could not recognize where I was or any of the individuals that surrounded me. I was anxiously seeking my wife, Jeanene. We had been separated and I had wanted very much to find her. Each individual I encountered said that I would not be able to do that. Repeatedly, as I sought in different directions to find her, I was emphatically told to forget her, for she would not be found. I was frustrated at every turn. One said, “She is no longer the same individual. There isn’t a Jeanene like you knew.”
I thought, “That is impossible, I know her, and I know she will never change.” Then I was told, “Your are not the same. There is no individual by the name of Richard Scott, and soon all the memories you’ve had of Jeanene, your children, and other loved ones will be eradicated.”
Fear entered my heart, accompanied by a horrifying feeling. Then came the thought: “No, that’s impossible. Those relationships are enduring and unchanging. As long as we live righteously, they cannot be eliminated. They are eternally fixed.”
As more encounters came, I realized that I was surrounded by evil individuals who were completely unhappy with no purpose save that of frustrating the happiness of others so they too would become miserable. These wicked ones were striving to manipulate those persons over whom they sought to exercise control. I somehow was conscious that those who believed their lies were being led through treachery and deceit from what they wanted most. They soon began to believe that their individuality, their experience and their relationships as families and friends were being altered or lost. They became angry, aggressive, and engulfed by feelings of hopelessness.
The pressure became more intense to accept as reality that what I had been no longer existed and that my cherished wife was no longer the same. I resisted those thoughts with every capacity that I could. I was determined to find her. I knew that there must be a way and was resolute in searching no matter what the cost in time or effort.~Richard G. Scott, 21 Principles (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013), 76-78
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