Have Your Dreams Disappeared?

Have Your Dreams Disappeared?

We are already into the first week of the new year. I hope it has begun gently for you, with moments of joy and gratitude.

But if we’re honest, a new year isn’t only about happiness, is it?

Sometimes a new year quietly reminds us of dreams that haven’t come true. Dreams we once held close but have slowly loosened our grip on. Maybe you’ve even reached the place where you’ve stopped believing that dream will ever come to pass.

I understand that feeling well.

As a young woman, my dream was simple and heartfelt: to get married and have four children. But as the years passed, that dream began to feel like something floating farther and farther away, like clouds drifting across the sky, beautiful but impossible to hold onto. Eventually, it felt easier to believe it simply wasn’t meant to be.

Dreams Do Come True

What I didn’t know was that three weeks before my 58th birthday, I would marry the man my prayers had quietly shaped over a lifetime.

That marriage didn’t bring four biological children. Instead, it brought two stepchildren, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. And let me tell you: my dream came true.

Are they my own? Oh yes. A thousand times yes.

Blood may be thicker than water, but love forms a bond that cannot be broken. God has blessed me with a granddaughter, the mother of our four great-grands, who not only gives me an opportunity to share in raising her children, but who gives me love beyond words. My dream was fulfilled in a way I never could have imagined.

And that’s often how God works.

Scripture reminds us that “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise… but is patient with you” (2 Peter 3:9).

What feels like delay to us is often God’s long-suffering care, working something deeper, richer, and more eternal than we can see.

Psalm 37:4 tells us that God gives us the desires of our hearts. That doesn’t mean He grants every prayer we pray. It means He is the One who places godly desires within us, and He is faithful to fulfill His purposes through them, even when the path looks nothing like we expected.

Unfulfilled Dreams

And when dreams remain unfulfilled? We still cling to the greatest promise of all, which is the certainty of eternity with Christ. That is the dream He will never fail to fulfill.

Call to Action

So let met ask you gently: Have you given up on a dream God once placed on your heart? If so, take time today to sit quietly before the Lord. Wait on Him. Journal what He brings to mind. Write honestly. Pray openly. And when this year comes to a close, you may be surprised to see how much He truly cares, and how a dream may have unfolded in a way you never thought possible.

I know mine did.

A Closing Prayer

Lord, help me not to grow weary in well-doing. Help me not to lose sight of the dreams You have placed in my heart. Your Word says that Your ways are not my ways, and Your thoughts are not my thoughts. Teach me to not demand my dreams, but to yield to Yours. In Jesus' name, amen.