Dream Killers – Part 2

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Romans 4:18

The second dream killer is: disappointment. Disappointment is the gap that exists between expectation and reality, and no doubt you’ve encountered the gap. You’ve had to live with unfulfilled desires or had your hopes dashed, and it can damage you. Mark Twain said: ‘We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that’s in it – and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She’ll never sit down on another hot stove-lid again – and that is well; but also she’ll never sit down on a cold one anymore.’ When something goes wrong we say, ‘I’ll never do that again!’ What a mistake, especially when it comes to your dreams! Experiencing failure is the price you must pay to achieve success. Sometimes you must face it and overcome it repeatedly in order to be able to move forward and pursue your dream. Abraham was called to birth a nation. But before he fathered Isaac he grew impatient and fathered Ishmael, and created a bad situation he had to live with all his life. But he never stopped believing in his God-given dream. The Bible says: ‘He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised’ (vv. 20-21). Note the words ‘was strengthened in his faith’. You must strengthen your faith each day by reading God’s Word and praying, recalling God’s goodness and reminding yourself that nothing is too hard for the Lord (see Jeremiah 32:17).

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me learn from the disappointments I have had and to move forward. In Jesus’ Name, Amen