I have been thinking a lot about what you do when a dream dies. You see, I have never experienced a dream dying abruptly until recently. Actually, I take that back, its a similar feeling to miscarriage. Back in February of 2017 my husband and I suffered the devastating loss of twins during my pregnancyc. Spirit’s (our pony) abrupt death was a major blow since it was not foreseen, but more-so, this summer, experiencing the sudden “death” of our Bible college and a future that I honestly thought was certain, was equally as excruciating. Nothing is certain. Tomorrow is not promised, our career paths are not promised, and our dreams are not promised. But what is promised is that God will be present in the midst of it all – the good, the bad, the joy, the grief, the dreams lost, and the dreams fulfilled. He is in it all. So what do we do when a dream dies? What do we do when we set something aside? First, we grieve expectations. We grieve what OUR vision was. If the vision didn’t happen, then clearly it is not God’s vision. Grieving expectations is so hard. We wrestle with emotions like fear, shame, embarrassment, disappointment, disillusionment. This wrestle with emotions is what Brene Brown calls “the reckoning”. Recognizing what we feel and then coming to peace with those emotions is not easy. It takes honesty, humility, vulnerability. But you are not put to shame nor are you alone in any of it. You, friend, are precious and beloved by the Most High King. He will not let you fall. When your weak and wobbly legs are ready to move forward into the future with Him, then, and only then is He able to give you what He wanted to give you all along. Usually, its not what you expected but it is deeply fulfilling. You, dear one, are going to make it. You are going to move forward and feel joy and hope again!