🌙 When Safety Becomes a Cage

What My Creepy Dream Taught Me About Faith and Freedom

I woke up in the middle of the night around 3:30 a.m. because I needed to go to the bathroom, but I had been in the middle of a vivid dream. In the dream, I was inside a house, not my own, but one that felt strangely familiar. I was locked in a room with two other people. The door was made of glass, so I could see outside clearly.

People were lined up just beyond the glass door, as if they wanted to help us out. But even though they looked friendly, I was hesitant. I didn’t know their intentions. They could have been trustworthy, or they could have had hidden motives. I stayed inside, scanning the line, waiting for someone I truly knew, someone I could trust.

Then I saw a friend from church in the line. Relief washed over me. I immediately felt a sense of safety. He opened the door and took me out. I don’t remember what happened to the two people who had been locked in with me, but I remember walking across open fields, constantly glancing back to make sure no one was behind me. It was both freeing and nerve-wracking, like stepping out of one world and into another.

I pondered on the dream in the dark and realized it wasn’t a nightmare but a mirror.

The Dream Behind the Message

The house in my dream felt like a trap, safe but suffocating. The glass door meant I could see freedom, but couldn’t reach it. The people outside? They represented something deeper: fear, conformity, pressure, expectations, the kind that look normal but can eat you alive from the inside out.

And then came my friend, a symbol of familiarity, safety, and spiritual connection. He didn’t say much, but his presence reminded me of how God often sends someone in the moment we start to lose courage. Sometimes the “door” doesn’t open by our own strength. Sometimes, God uses community, trusted people, to pull us out of the room we were never meant to stay in.

It reminded me of the verse:

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” — John 8:36

Freedom isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the courage to move even when fear is watching.

The Real Lesson: When Safety Becomes a Cage

We often think being “locked in” means being trapped by hardship. But sometimes, the cage is comfort. The predictable routine, the safe relationship, the familiar environment where nothing challenges us. But eventually, comfort turns into confinement.

“Ships are safest in harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd

Inside the room, I had walls to protect me. Outside, there were risks but also endless possibilities. The same applies to faith. You can’t grow if you never step outside. Faith doesn’t bloom behind glass; it breathes in open fields.

The Apostle Paul wrote,

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” — Galatians 5:1

Fear disguises itself as safety. It whispers, Stay here, it’s comfortable. But true safety is found in obedience, not avoidance.

Soul Insights

1. The locked room symbolizes false safety.

The house represented the illusion of control, the place we hide when we fear loss or rejection. But what we call “safe” is often the very thing keeping us small. Sometimes God has to rattle the walls so we’ll finally walk toward freedom. It’s not punishment—it’s preparation.

2. The glass door reveals awareness without action.

Seeing outside the room was both hopeful and frustrating. I could see what was possible but wasn’t acting on it yet. Many of us live here, aware of our potential, but afraid to cross the threshold. Freedom begins when awareness turns into movement.

3. My friend symbolizes divine help through human connection.

God rarely rescues us through lightning bolts and parted seas. He sends people, mentors, friends, pastors, even random encouragers, who open doors we didn’t know could move. Eric showing up in my dream was a reminder that God’s help often looks human.

4. The cannibalistic woman represents what consumes our peace.

She wasn’t about horror; she was about distraction and depletion. The things that “eat us alive” aren’t always visible—they’re spiritual and emotional. Overcommitment, fear, comparison, guilt—they drain us slowly. Recognizing them is the first step to reclaiming peace.

5. The open field signifies freedom through trust.

Running into the open field felt terrifying and liberating at once. It’s what faith feels like, uncertain but full of oxygen. That field reminded me of Psalm 18:19: “He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.” Sometimes, the field isn’t the end of the fear—it’s the beginning of freedom.

Final Thoughts

That dream wasn’t about monsters. It was about movement. About choosing freedom over fear. Sometimes the things we think will protect us are the very things that keep us from living fully. Freedom doesn’t come from control, it comes from surrender.

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” — Brené Brown

Faith doesn’t mean the absence of danger, it means trusting God enough to walk out of the room anyway. So when life feels too safe, too small, or too predictable, ask yourself if the “locked room” you’re in has served its purpose.

Because maybe, just maybe, the door’s already open.

Your Turn

If something in your life feels confining, whether it’s a mindset, a relationship, or a fear, ask God to show you what door He’s already opened. Then take one small step through it this week. Freedom doesn’t happen in leaps; it happens in daily obedience.

Soul Path Insights