When Hopes and Dreams Are Killed

When I joined the US Air Force straight out of high school, I dreamed about being involved in military police. It was my passion. I had hoped that after my military commitments were fulfilled, I’d land a career in federal law enforcement as a special agent. At that stage in life, it was the only thing I wanted to do. Well, that dream came burning down when the Air Force told me I didn’t qualify for military police because of my faulty vision, and it devastated me. Talk about life handing you a sour lemon!

In hindsight, I can now see that God used my decision to join the military to take me along a completely different, unimaginable path. Through a series of events, God placed a desire within me to eventually use my GI Bill to attend Bible College, and he then used Bible College to place a new dream within me for ministry. It was something I would have never dreamed of in my teenage or young adult years.

The Bible says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9), and that’s such good news! It means that even when our hopes and dreams are killed—even when we’re forced to relinquish our own plans and ambitions—there is a wise and loving God who will bring good out of it (Genesis 50:20, cf. Romans 8:28).

Are there any present difficulties in your life? Any broken hopes? Remember that God is in the midst of redeeming all the painful trials in your life. Keep trusting in his goodness.