When God Changes the Dream
Grieving what was while embracing what could be
It’s happened to all of us. We dream up a future, we make plans, we anticipate and celebrate, and then, when the time comes, it doesn’t go at all as we planned. The house sells to someone else. The job isn’t what you expected. The date ends poorly. The trip is halted by a pandemic. Or two pink lines never show up on the pregnancy test. There are a million ways each of us has experienced heartbreak over plans that never came to be or plans that didn’t turn out as we had hoped.
Even when we do everything right. We pray, we seek counsel, we work hard, etc., sometimes the door still closes. So what do we do in these moments of heartbreak? It’s so easy to feel hurt or even angry when you’re walking through one of these seasons. Many times in my life, I’ve felt as though God has just abandoned me. Surely He put this dream in my heart, so why did everything fall apart?
More often than not, we don’t see the bigger picture until we are far removed from the fresh wounds of a lost dream.
The truth is, sometimes we never get to know why. As painstakingly hard as that may be, more often than not, we don’t see the bigger picture until we are far removed from the fresh wounds of a lost dream. It’s not until time has passed and we take an inventory of our lives that we can begin to see what God was up to. In my experience, it always ends up being better than I anticipated, too.
The Bible gives us countless examples of this. Consider Sarah. She hoped and hoped for a baby in her youth, but it wasn’t until she was considered quite old that her dream came to be (Genesis 21). Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness before leading the Israelites toward the Promised Land. Joseph was engaged to a woman who turned out to be pregnant with a baby who was not his (Matthew 1).
The Bible isn’t able to share every specific detail with us, but I don’t think it’s a leap to assume that these people experienced emotions we don’t get to read about. I’m sure Sarah wept in the waiting. I’m sure Moses questioned whether the Promised Land would truly come. I’m sure both Joseph and Mary had complicated feelings about their sudden change of plans.
If these scriptural powerhouses could have moments of humanity, so can you.
When we hand our lives over to Christ, we are doing exactly that—handing them over. We are letting go of control, letting go of our own mission, and accepting His. This was never meant to be comfortable or easy. In fact, the Bible often reminds us that walking with Christ will not be easy (John 16:33). But the more we align ourselves with the mission of Christ, the more willing we become to be uncomfortable, malleable, and open to changing our plans. The more our will begins to look like His (Psalm 37:4).
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Of course, I wish we all could get through this life without experiencing the pain of a lost dream. I don’t know why we sometimes have to walk through the heartache that we do. But I do know that the Lord is refining us. I trust His Word when it says that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
Whether you are currently walking through a season of broken dreams or those days inevitably come, hold fast to the truth that God has a plan. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Look back on previous deferred dreams and see how God used them and where He has placed you now. Or look to the countless examples in the Bible and be encouraged.
Walk in the freedom of knowing that once you accepted Christ, you were never really in control to begin with (Proverbs 16:9). And know that there is one plan we can make that will remain unchanged. One dream so amazing that we can count on it: eternity with Christ.
