Dreams aren't really "messages", but rather the result of your brain trying to make sense of inner thoughts and feelings.
So in one way you could say that the "stories" in dreams are relevant to your waking life concerns, but they aren't essential.
In fact, you can probably learn more about yourself by becoming lucid and asking the dream itself what you need to know, essentially talking to your own subconscious self.
This might sound like a weird and trippy idea to some people, but it makes a lot of sense, because in your dreams you have better access to your own subconscious thoughts.