I think we all have dreams. They begin when we are young and as we develop desires around the pleasures this life offers. Dreaming, or in other words, envisioning our goals or aims in life, seems to be the way we’re wired. And it’s not a bad thing. Much of what we experience, build, or accomplish in our lives begins with a dream. Where dreams become problematic, however, is when they become expectations we allow to replace the realities of what God has sovereignly allowed our lives to include.
I believe a common dream to which we all aspire is to experience a pain free life. In my early years, I may not have verbalized such, but I lived as though I thought it quite possible to create a life free from pain. My pain-free package looked like this: Finding Jesus as a 20-year-old, meeting the girl of my dreams shortly after, becoming a Dad three times, and going into business with my best friend. Could life get much better?! Of course, there were a few troubles along the way. We had our share of sickness and injuries, but for almost 12 years, we experienced nothing major – my “dreams” were intact.
The Harvest in Loss
Through those years I continued to follow and serve the Lord, and amid all the “blessing” my faith grew. Yet now, as I look back almost 40 years, I recognize that what has served to truly grow my faith wasn’t those years of virtual painless ease. Rather, as tragedies became more common in my life and my dreams were no longer intact or fulfilled, that it what caused my roots to go down more deeply in Christ and experience Him as my greatest desire.
I’m not saying I no longer experienced blessing. Through the subsequent years, our business grew, our sons married, and eventually gave us the most wonderful grandchildren I could have imagined. Yet simultaneously, dreams were also being shattered, both in my life and in the lives of those I loved. The hurts were many: betrayals from friends, the loss of loved ones, friend’s marriages ending, all leaving many disappointments in their wake.
A Catalyst to Seek
So, what have I learned? Broken dreams are as much a part of the portion God has planned for us, as those He allows to be fulfilled. I love the book titled, Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb, and highly recommend this classic. I’d like to share a couple of my favorite quotes. On page 119, he writes, “On the spiritual journey, there are seasons when doing great requires that we feel awful.” The second quote says, “The richest hope permits the deepest suffering, which releases the strongest power, which then produces the greatest joy” (page 42). Do shattered dreams bring pain and suffering? Most assuredly. Yet I’m convinced the most important lessons we can learn take place amid hardship. For it is when things become the hardest and suffering fills our days and nights, that a crisis is created that can only be met by a deep encounter with God. It is when things become the hardest, that we are more prone to seek Him the most. When we become desperate, we discover how accessible He is. Psalm 34:18 assures us, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit” (ESV). And even when we can’t see Him at work in our lives and circumstances, He is still working! Philippians 2:13 (ESV) tells us, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Friends, I’ll say it again. Having dreams is not bad, but don’t be surprised if or when they are shattered in this life. Scripture tells us this present world is not the place for the fulfillment of all our dreams, (John 16:33), but praise God, He promises us His peace amid our loss, because He has overcome this world. So, I encourage you, hold on to God when tragedy strikes, and your dreams are shattered. Align your expectations with the instructions found in God’s Word. Surround yourself with godly friends and then, don’t give up!
God will meet you in your darkest hour, He will comfort you in your deepest pain, and He will show you what is of greatest worth. You will experience Him as your perfect Savior, as He was also a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). And remember, in your heartache, that He has allowed, He always has a plan for you, and will transform you into a person of great hope and character.
