Broken Dreams

Dreams.  We all have them.  Maybe it's the dream of going camping next weekend with your family that gets you through the week.  Perhaps it's the dream a high school student has of a medical career after college.  Newly married couples dream of the home they will one day have.  Parents dream of what their children might achieve in adulthood.  Older people might be dreaming of the day they can retire and have the time to travel or just do whatever comes your way. 
Many times our dreams do materialize into action.  The weather stays nice for the weekend, we get that career, marriage is more fulfilling than ever imagined, children grow into talented, loving adults you are so proud of, and yes, the day finally comes when retirement is at hand.
So, what happens when dreams don't materialize?  When the weather is miserable, when there isn't enough money for college, when a marriage fails, your children struggle, or long-awaited retirement greets you with finding that you have cancer when you go in for a check up. 
It doesn't take long as we journey through this life to see that we are obviously not in charge.  Sure, our dreams may be noble, we are earnest in seeking God's will in our lives.  Yet, just when we think that we are on the path meant for us, life happens.  I can definitely identify with this graphic, perhaps you can also.

My own life has taken many turns I wouldn't have predicted.  Some dreams have been fulfilled, but not in the way that I once dreamed.  When I was young, I dreamed of being a professional pianist.  Today I don't play professionally, but I DO play often, and I love my role as a music educator as well.  The dream didn't go away, it just changed direction.  When I was first married, we dreamed of having 10 children.  (We were young!)  That dream of 10 children did materialize, but not in the way I had dreamed.  God had a whole other path for me to follow to fulfill that particular dream than I could EVER imagine.

Something that I've noticed about dreaming....pain is often involved.  An athlete who dreams of winning a race doesn't get there without lots of pain from days of pushing their body to the limit.  A student doesn't get a degree without hours of study and dedication.  The pain of childbirth pales in comparison to pain that we as parents feel when we see that our children are struggling or have lost their way.

How does a person find hope when life's dreams seem to have gone askew? For me, I find my strength in the assurance that God is in charge, and that there is a plan!  God's plan.  He will never forsake us.  His love for each one of us is so great that he gave His only Son for our salvation.  That is where we find our security.

**Click here for the rest of the blogs in this series, "Broken".