The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10
The word abundant means; super abundant and this is the life the Lord came to bring us and it is here where we introduce our first step to Dancing with the Scars of disappointment. The first step in dealing with dashed hopes and unrealized dreams is to get new ones. I am nearing 60 years old and if I am still day dreaming about pitching in the World Series in the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded and two outs like I did when I was a kid, I am going to live in a constant state of disappointment. If I am still thinking about making that one handed catch in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter to win the Superbowl then I am not living in the real world and am setting myself up for Disappointment, Discouragement and Despair. The key is not living a life without hopes and dreams but rather getting new ones as it becomes apparent that time has passed or your dream is not going to happen. I have lot’s of dreams that never happened and in looking back they have changed time and again. I have hopes and dreams now and they are both spiritual and practical, I do want to please the Lord, I do want His will for my life, I do want to do great things for Him. The truth is most of our disappointments have nothing to do with God’s plans for our lives and everything to do with our own plans for our lives. Don’t take this wrongly, there is nothing wrong with planning and dreaming but as a child of God we need to remember He has plans for us too and it’s pretty likely for most of us a World Series or Super Bowl win is not part of them, but… the are even better than those things. They won’t leave us asking; Is this all there is?
One of the favorite Bible verses for many is Jeremiah 29:11, you hear it shared by many as their “life verse” you see it on placards and calendars, it’s posted on Facebook and Instagram and other social media but the truth is, few even realize the context of their “life verse.” Jeremiah was speaking on behalf of God to an idolatrous and materialistic people He called His chosen people. In this case the Southern Kingdom of Judah. God told them that He was sending them into captivity for seventy years for their ignoring of the Sabbatical year because of their greed and while in captivity they need to remember that;
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
While disobedience to the plan of God may not be the reason for being scarred by disappointment, discouragement and despair the general truth remains the same and that is God has a plan for us that is outside of our own. When the season for your current hopes and dreams has passed, get new ones, spiritual ones, godly ones. Most of our unfulfilled dreams and hopes are like winning three Superbowl’s, it would be great for a moment and then you’d say; This can’t be all there is, and you’d be right. There is more, God has plans for you that may not involve a vice presidency, your own company, personal notoriety or the pro career but I can assure you, His plan is better than fifteen minutes of fame.
Excerpt from “Dancing With the Scars” now available on Amazon.
