TWR: For When Your Dreams Feel Crushed {A Guest Post}



Since entering this blogging world and realizing what a beautiful community it can be, I have been praying for a writing/blogging/mommy friend. A couple months ago someone commented on a post I wrote, and God said, "Her." I looked at her blog and saw what a sister she was. God prompted me to email her and ask her to guest post for this series. True to classic Amanda form, I ignored that prompting because I was too freaked out. Probably just me and my silly ideas. A few weeks later she wrote a post that touched my heart and confirmed that God really had been prompting me to reach out. I emailed her and we have been friends since. Turns out, she lives close enough to meet up with... so naturally, we did meet up! I feel like I met my blogging doppleganger! She has a similar heart, is an absolute sweetheart, has two littles of her own, and is incredibly real. I know you will like what she writes!

So, I would now like to introduce you to my friend, Jacqui from Faith and Simplicity. She's got a post for The Waiting Room on crushed dreams.
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The Resurrection of Crushed Dreams


Before the sun went down, in the calm of the evening, I pulled out my pruners and went to trimming my cosmos. It’s been long overdue. And as I clipped away, praying and thinking, my mind dwelt on the Sovereignty of God.

And I thought about growth, waiting, and dreams.
Crushed dreams to be more blunt.

I have had my share of heartbreak as cancer ravaged the body of my first husband, consequently taking his life. As well as other heartaches, that have left me distraught...questioning.

And the anguish of each loss has never gotten easier.
In fact, the same temptations to abandon my trust in God’s lovingkindness arise each time as confusion swirls, anxiety clamors, and the ugly face of anger gnashes its teeth.

My heart cries...unsettled.
But the voice of wisdom whispers, “Wait. Don’t act now!”

Truthfully, I don’t do waiting well.
There comes a point when I sit fidgeting, eager for something to happen. Or I stand pacing, anxious to create some kind of movement.

But as Amanda has already said, there is a purpose for it.
Ultimately, it’s for our growth.
And growth means change.

And change doesn’t appeal to this girl who loves to get comfortable on the couch, sinking into its cushions uninterrupted. Change can’t tempt when I’m cuddled in plushness.

But when God crushes my dreams, when God calls me to wait, an internal war wages...disrupting my ease.

My heart seeks the back door.
My heart seeks something other than what I’ve been given or not given.

Romans 5:3-4 says, “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

The trials we face push and pull, stretch and tighten, as faith works itself out in our souls. And if we keep our hearts moldable in the hands of the potter God, resisting the desire to lurch from His spinning wheel (simply because we trust Him), a work of beauty will shape and form.

Character produced. Hope in spite.

And we’ll find ourselves on the other side of hard. We’ll find ourselves changed.

And when we choose to focus on the blessings of the change, we’ll find the temptation of the old couch a little less desirable. Our eyes will suddenly behold the tattered fabric and the lumpy cushions.  And this new place, once masked with fear, will suddenly be good, acceptable, perfect.

We’ll have grown.
We’ll have matured.
And just like the cosmos I clipped and shaped this evening, we’ll be ready for the next bloom.

I love Paul’s heart-cry in Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

Our sovereign and great God will use every last bit of our crushing. We can be confident in that as we enter into this deep, satisfying relationship that’s emptied of self! And in His perfect timing, the old dream or possibly a new one, will sprout in the fresh, rich soil of a broken heart.

Then, His voice will come softly, saying, “It’s time, child of Mine.”
And in humility, we can finally respond, “Yes, Lord, but not as I will... as You will.”

That is the purpose of crushed dreams.
That is the purpose of waiting.
And that is the beauty of a heart surrendered. 

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From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Jacqui, dear Jesus-sister. Crushed dreams is not exactly an easy topic, and you wrote about it so beautifully. You spoke right to my soul.

If you have a chance, do check out her blog: Faith and Simplicity. I know you will be encouraged and inspired by the words she writes there.

In case you missed the other parts of the series and want to get caught up, here are the links: 

I will see you all back here on Thursday for the next post in the series.

And as a reminder, I love comments (I love hearing from you!). I love getting emails too: conqueringhousewife{at}the-cadence{dot}com. 
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Thank you dear friends for coming and sitting with me in The Waiting Room. It's so much easier to wait in the company of friends :)

Amanda