Talk to me about shipwrecked goals and dreams and I’ll quickly tell you I can relate.
I’m not going to pretend that I’d win a competition if there was one, but I can assure you that I have some stories of my own. I can think of a time or two (too many) when life has knocked my dreams about.
Not too long ago my dreams were left by the wayside, put on hold in the face of survival.
We don’t like to talk about our dashed dreams, do we? It’s messy, uncomfortable and yes, downright painful.
We start to associate our broken dreams with pain, loss and suffering. And the truth is they often are.
But, friend, what if we looked at our lost dreams in a different way?
Think about how Paul suggested we should approach our sufferings:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5 ESV
Are you rejoicing over your lost dreams? It almost seems insulting to suggest it.
I have to tell you, rejoicing isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I think about my broken dreams. Far from it.
But what about this one in Isaiah 61:1-4 ESV?
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
Many of those words resonated with me.
Brokenhearted, mourning, faint spirit, ruins.
But friend, this is what God wants to offer us instead:
Good news.
Liberty.
Favor.
Beauty
A garment of praise.
Those are the words I’m holding on to.
Two months ago I lost the life I knew and with it went a few goals and dreams. My home, my country, my family, my job, my life, have all been turned upside down. But you know one thing I haven’t lost?
My purpose.
With my faith anchored in Christ, it makes all the difference. Even with my goals and dreams shipwrecked, my purpose remains.
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Now more than ever, God has stirred up a fire within me to live life on purpose. A life of meaning, a life of value and a life of hope. A life that makes a difference.
I am on a mission to spread this hope to you too. If you’ve lost sight of your goals and dreams, don’t lose sight of your purpose.
Your purpose is still there, settled deep within your soul.
It might need to be stirred, but it’s still there.
God has something better in store for you. In place of your old goals and dreams, God wants to give you something better.
Rather than mourn the dreams I lost, I’m dreaming again and embracing new possibilities.
If you’re passionate about rekindling your purpose too, I’d love to journey with you.
I’m inviting a few friends along to make 2018 their year to live on purpose.
I’ll be using my Spark Success planner to open my mind to all the possibilities God has before me. Get your copy of the planner and I’ll come beside you to brainstorm your goals and dreams for 2018*.
I’ll help you rekindle the spark of purpose that God put inside you.
I know life has been overwhelming and maybe even painful at times, but your purpose is still there, and I’m going to help you reclaim it.
God wants you to dream even bigger than before. And I can’t wait to see the amazing things He’ll do in and through you.
I know that my old dreams will be nothing compared to my new ones.
Remember?
Beauty for ashes.
All so that God can be glorified. How exciting is that?
Let’s decide to dream big and walk in purpose, together!
Wishing you blessings,
*P.S. As much as I wish I could meet with everyone who buys the planner, I’d rather focus on quality over quantity. I’m committed to helping ten women reclaim their goals and dreams so that they can walk in purpose.
Will you be one of them?
Start by getting your Spark Success goals planner here.
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It seems that when we go after dreams and goals that really aren’t meant for us, they become much harder to achieve. Yet when we seek things that are more compatible with our soul, we have better results. Just my 2 cents 🙂
Thank God for blogs, I’m glad to have content here. forced to post Significado de Hosana
I LOVE this message. Thank you for sharing! We all have a purpose, and we just need to remember that, & find our purpose! I love your blog name!
I like this, “With my faith anchored in Christ, it makes all the difference. Even with my goals and dreams shipwrecked, my purpose remains.” We need to keep our eyes on the big picture, don’t we? Sometimes God allows us to take the long way around to get where we’re going, but He will always get us where we really need to be!
So much truth in this post! I love that you are willing to point out the convicting truth rather than encouraging people to continue on in sorrow. We have a hope that is greater than everything going on in this world.
Thanks for the good word!
Love this reminder, Marva: “Even with my goals and dreams shipwrecked, my purpose remains.” Your words give life to my recent Bible reading. Paul doesn’t allow being shipwrecked stop him from proclaiming Jesus. Sweet blessings!
I love this! I recently had a discussion with a girlfriend who is extremely goal oriented. I, on the other hand, am not one to set very many goals. We are both extremely different and can see the pros and cons to both sides. My hesitation to set goals comes from a need to be “free”, without heartache. Well, heartache can come either way, right?! I have learned from lost goals or failures… they don’t define me but they encourage me to a better purpose. God has a beautiful way of tuning our focus towards His perfect will for our lives! I will rejoice in the failures and lift up prayers of thanksgiving for those dropped wishes. Even so, it is well! <3
To know my purpose remains despite shipwreck brings jot to my heart. I am excited because God can bring beauty from ashes bringing bigger and better dreams from those broken.
What an encouraging post Marva. Thank you for sharing such profound truths. Your year has been difficult but I stand with you in prayer for God’s truth to manifest in your life. Blessings❤
Yes, He leads you through as He refines you! Thanks for stopping by and visiting. Have a wonderful Holiday season.
I’ve had my own shipwreck times. One thing it does is remove every distraction, that’s for sure. God had my full attention. It is more difficult for us to just Be and not Do, but He has things He wants us to receive from Him during these times. Thank you so much for sharing your heart, it was beautifully written, and you’re right about thanksgiving and praise. May God pour out grace & fill you with joy, overflowing! ❤️
It can be so hard when our plans get completely changed. Lately I have been re-learning that God is a God of process. He takes us through the process to give Him the ultimate glory. We may not know what He is doing, but it is to make us more like Him.
I love that Anne: God is a God of process. He sure is! And I believe all that He does is to refine us to help us grow. Seldom comfortable but often so worth it!
Wishing you blessings upon blessings!
Beautiful, encouraging post. God is always refining us and helping us.
Thank you, Carol, and you’re so right.
Thanks for joining in the conversation today.
Blessings to you!
I’m sorry you went through such a low period but I’m glad that it has been used to renew your faith in your purpose- and then encourage others in return. Truly inspirational!
Thanks, Nina.
I’ve been tempted to feel sorry for myself but I then I ask myself, why not me? All of this hard stuff (and Lord knows there’s been a lot) has served to draw me closer to God and help me appreciate what’s really important! That in itself is such a gift!
Wishing you blessings!
Oh, Marva. You are an inspiration to so many. I love that God has sparked new dreams within your heart–beginning with encouraging and coaching others with theirs. What a gift! I’m looking forward to what God has in store for you in the coming months and years! Love you, Sister!!
I’m excited for you too, Dianne! I pray God blesses you with the desires of your heart as you move forward in His strength.
Love you, friend!
Very inspirational post, full of truth and wisdom.
Thanks, Debbie. I’m humbled by how God has been working in and through me. Thanks so much for your encouragement — all the glory goes to God!
Love, love, love this, Marv! Your words resonated with me on a deep layer as I’m sure they’ll do with others. And the scriptures you’ve chosen are profound and meaningful to me on so many layers. So thankful for you and your purpose that continues to shine brightly. Love you lots!
Thanks, Carlie. I’m intent on not giving in or giving up. I know God is nudging me forward and I’m so grateful for His patience.
Thanks for joining me for a year of purposeful living!