Dreams Dashed
The air was taken from me. It was like a balloon in which the air leaked out. I felt flattened. I felt like my dreams were dashed. My hope instantly squelched.
The results were in. They were far from what I wanted. Far from what I had been praying for. Had God heard me? Had He forgotten? Had I done something wrong to deserve this? Why is it so easy for others to welcome a new baby biologically, and now for me, it appears far from possible.
It’s easy to spiral into a pit of absolute despair when things don’t work out as we’d hoped. It’s easy to blame and look for people, places, or things that could take the punch of our pain. It’s easy to assume that this is it and there’s no more hope.
When it gets dark, it's dark. The nights seem extra long in those low seasons. Any strength you once had is gone from your sight. That’s when the enemy has a hold on you. That is when he tries to convince you that God doesn’t love you. In the darkest moments, we fight some of the toughest battles.
Like Adam and Eve were tempted in the garden, Jesus was fully human. The enemy desperately wanted Jesus to turn from his ways. But Jesus stood firm. He followed God’s leading even when things didn’t go as he thought they would, even when it cost him his life. He was fixed on the prize and he knew eternal life was the best gift that anyone could ever receive.
When Jesus died on the cross, everything changed. It didn’t put an end to the pain or heartbreak we may face, but it marked the beginning of eternal life. The hope of Heaven. Where one day, you and I will live with no more dreams dashed, only an abundance of glory, grace, and ultimate perfection.
In my recent weakness, I was drawn to remember one of the greatest heroes of the Bible - Paul. There aren’t many who have faced the amount of persecution and suffering that Paul has. He persevered even in the face of ultimate danger to point others to Jesus. A true martyr.
I felt a sense of hope return to my weary soul when I read this passage in Second Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 4, NLT
Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.
If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
I don’t know what you’re experiencing right now. Like me, maybe you feel as if some of your dreams have been dashed. Like your tiny flame has blown out of your candle leaving you in the dark. Friend do not lose heart. Though we may not understand the reason for our current set of circumstances, may we have the strength to believe and trust that God is renewing us day by day. He will give us the strength we need for this moment, today, so that we can continue to show up. Fix your eyes on Heaven today. His will, not ours be done.
Psalm 59:16, CSB
But I will sing of your strength and will joyfully proclaim your faithful love in the morning.
For you have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble.
