My entire life I dreamt of being pregnant… ever since I was a little girl.
This pregnancy has been a true gift from God. But in many ways this pregnancy has been a broken dream.
It has not been all I thought pregnancy would be. After losing our twins so early in our previous pregnancy, the pure joy of finding out we were pregnant was now severely veiled. The sheer excitement and anticipation for that which lay ahead was significantly hindered and muddled together with fear, anxiety and a hesitancy… in an effort to protect our wounded hearts.
I am not the only one with a broken dream. In fact this is just one broken dream of many I’ve experienced in life.
I’m certain in this broken world that you, too, have at least one broken dream.
And so my question is…
What do we do with broken dreams?
What do we do with broken dreams?
In my searching for healing and my seeking of answers from God amidst the grief, there are 3 things He has revealed to me to do with my broken dreams:
1. Lay the broken pieces at God’s feet.
I literally envision dumping the broken pieces of my heart and my story before Him.
2. Allow Him to hold us, to comfort us.
Now empty handed, I imagine myself falling into his arms, sitting in his lap like a little child while He hugs me, just sits with me in the pain, and then wipes away my tears.
3. Allow Him to hold those broken pieces for us and receive what He has for us in exchange.
I imagine God picking up those broken pieces and holding them for me until the day of ultimate healing and restoration that will come in Heaven. I then imagine offering out my empty hands to receive good things from Him–small pieces of the greater Redemption Story He is telling.
I’ve learned I can’t hold onto all the pain and heartache of this broken dream.
I’ve found so much comfort through deep prayer and daily reading of God’s Word.
I’ve begun to give Him the emotion—the hurt, anger, frustration, bitterness and sheer devastation. And I’ve begun to receive the blessings from the battle, the beauty from the ashes, of empathy for others and of new ministry from this trial.
I love the following verse about comforting others through the comfort we receive from God:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
I pray that in whatever broken dream you may have, that you would find direction into the arms of the Father, this God of all comfort, and that you’d be able to receive healing, hope, and the ability to share them with others who are hurting.
“He is the God of all comfort.”
– Ellie Holcomb, God of All Comfort“And my God will meet all your needs
according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
– Philippians 4:19“…He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair…”
– Isaiah 61:1-3
This is the God who grows beauty from weeds. And I’m so thankful that He’s walking through this life with me.
Photo by Apple Rose Photography
