A Prison Dream

About a month ago, I dreamt I had accidentally killed someone and hid their body in the crawl space of my family home. When I woke up, I was overwhelmed by anxiety—lingering throughout the day like a fog. All my past transgressions, both remembered and imagined, came rushing to the surface. What if there’s something in my past that would land me in jail?

What if I’m not as clean as I think I am?

Then, last night, I had a continuation of that dream. But this time, something had changed.

The police arrived. But instead of panic, I felt peace. My fear evaporated the moment I remembered the mercy of the Lord. I was no longer afraid of human judgment—because I trusted in the greater judgment of God, who sees all and forgives those who repent.

I rejoiced in the opportunity to be punished. I imagined myself in a prison cell—repenting, praying, and perhaps even becoming a light for the other inmates. Maybe together we would be called to repentance. Maybe my sentence could become my salvation.

If only the world saw prison not simply as punishment, but as a place of healing—a monastery of repentance—what a better world this would be.

I believe this dream mirrors a greater spiritual reality.

In life, we often hide our sins out of fear—fear of judgment, exposure, shame, and guilt. We bury our past like a body in the crawl space. But it is the Truth that sets us free. And the Truth is this:

God is merciful.

God is forgiving.

And the only judgment we should truly fear is the one that meets us in eternity—when our conscience is laid bare in the light of His glory.

In that light, no one can hide.

So better to go willingly to our “prison cell” now—to confess, to repent, to serve the small penalty while there is still time—than to be sentenced eternally, having refused healing.

We avoid prison out of shame. But God transforms even the prison into a sanctuary.

What the world sees as confinement, God can make into a place of freedom.

Glory to Him.