As I looked down this morning I saw a copy of Larry Crabb’s book, Shattered Dreams and the following verse came into my mind.
John 12:23-24 (New International Version)
23Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
What a fitting verse to consider in this Easter season.
I have recently been studying the Book of Ruth and I wonder if I haven’t discovered a new passion. It has been so exciting to crack open commentary after commentary and glean a deeper understanding of the events that took place and the application to our lives.
Within the first few verses of the Book of Ruth, we witness Naomi’s dreams being shattered one by one. First the death of husband, followed by the death of both of her sons. Poor Naomi was left without economic support, and with the loss of heirs, she had no hope for the future. And to add to that she now had two daughter-in-laws that had become her responsibility.
Is there a redeeming purpose can be found through shattered dreams? Shattered dreams bring us to a new place. The dark night of the soul is where our deepest longings surface. The peripheral is set aside and our energy is directed toward trying to understand what is going on. It is there that we begin to ask the right questions. Questions like: Who is God? What has happened? Why is God doing this to me? Although on the surface our questions may seem to be an affront to God, underneath we are really challenging our own faulty belief system. Most of us have predetermined who we believe God should be - few of us have taken the time to discover who He truly is.
Before our dreams shattered, we we may have been self-confident and self-sufficient, now we are rendered helpless. It makes me think of Simon Peter, who after stepping out of the boat in faith, began to sink. His first reaction was to call out, “Lord help me.” That put Peter in a good place. That will always put you and me in a good place.
If we are to become more, we cannot remain a single seed. When our dreams die, we give birth to something new. Others may think we are stuck in our loss, when in reality we are asking to see Jesus and His plan for our lives in a new way. In our helplessness, we are calling out, “Jesus help me.” And when we call to Him, He never turns us away.
The Son of Man is glorified through our weakness . . . when I am weak He is strong. Praise God for our kinsman-redeemer who is able and waiting to rescue us.
