Part 1 of 4 in the "Shattered Dreams" Series
We’ve all heard it before: we matter to God. And part of us wants to believe it. But life has a way of wearing down our confidence in that truth. If God really cares about us, then why didn’t He ___________? Fill in the blank: Heal your loved one. Save your marriage. Open doors that remained shut. Make life easier.
Either (a) we’re blowing it, or (b) God is holding out on us. Or some combination of both, which is where most people land.
— John Eldredge, Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive
Take a moment to reflect on the dreams you once had for your life. What did you envision for your family, career, friendships, home, and future? If we’re honest, most of us are not living the life we imagined.
On one hand, that’s not entirely a bad thing. Many of our youthful dreams were built on unrealistic expectations. Achieving them might have led to an outcome far different from what we expected—perhaps even worse. Think of the lives of celebrities who have everything we think would bring happiness, yet struggle with addiction, depression, and broken relationships. Or consider if you had married your first crush—would it have truly been a fairy tale?
We recognize that not all unfulfilled dreams are tragic. Yet, there are dreams we believe are essential to our happiness. The single person might believe that marriage is the key to joy, while a married person may long for the freedom of singleness. We might think a specific job, possession, or achievement will finally make us content. And when those things do not happen—or are taken away—we feel crushed. We cry out, “God, don’t You care about my happiness? I thought You loved me!” And often, we are met with silence. We pray, plead, and wait, but God seems unresponsive.
But does silence mean God doesn’t care? Scripture tells us otherwise. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (1 Peter 5:7, NLT). This leaves us with a dilemma: either the Bible is untrue, or God has a different plan for our lives than we expected.
I am convinced that God’s plan is far greater than our own. The challenge is that His definition of a “wonderful life” often looks nothing like ours. We dream of being served, but God calls us to serve. We dream of financial abundance, but God calls us to generosity. We dream of recognition, but God calls us to humility and quiet faithfulness. To lead us into His better plan, God often allows our dreams to break.
Why? Because as long as we cling to our own visions of happiness, we prioritize achieving them over pursuing holiness. That is the fundamental difference between our dreams and God’s: we long for comfort, but He desires our transformation. We seek happiness, but He seeks our holiness.
What Is Holiness?
Holiness is a word we use in church, but rarely in everyday conversation. I like to define it simply as being separated from the ordinary. Through salvation, God sets us apart from the world because His people are to represent Him in everything we do. Holiness is both the position we have in God’s Kingdom and the calling He has placed on our lives.
Because of this call to holiness, shattered dreams are not the end of life—they are the beginning of something better. They force us to shift our focus from temporary fulfillment to the eternal purpose found in the Kingdom. When our dreams crumble, we are invited into a deeper trust—a faith that rests not on our circumstances but on God Himself.
So, what if our broken dreams are actually God’s mercy? What if, in allowing them to fall apart, He is leading us to something infinitely better? The question is not whether God cares—it’s whether we are willing to trust that His dreams for us are better than our own.
Stay tuned for Part 2 in the "Shattered Dreams" series as we continue exploring how God’s plan transforms our understanding of life and fulfillment.
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