Unless you’ve been living under a rock your whole life, you have had some dreams shatter; we all have. Exactly five years ago today one of my dreams shattered into a million pieces. My marriage of almost 20 years ended in a nanosecond, and with it hundreds of other dreams were also in pieces.

There are times in our lives when things don’t go the way we had planned. In those times we have choices. We can stay there and potentially get stuck in hurt, sorrow, resentment and pain, or we can trust that God knows what He is doing and has a plan for us in, and through the pain.

When my marriage ended I was in a state of shock and disbelief. Many dreams were shattered: growing old together, financial security, companionship, the prospect of being grandparents together. Five years later, after finishing college, I am working with women in crisis. Would I be doing this if I were still married? Probably not.

Cancer struck when I was 41 years-old and it was devastating!  The dream that I was a young, healthy woman was shattered. Five and a half years later, I am now working with cancer patients providing them with hope and encouragement. Would I be doing this if I had never had cancer? No!

I believe that we have dreams, desires, goals and such and God has dreams, desires, goals and such, for us; sometimes they are not one in the same. What I know is that what God has for me is so much greater than what I could ever imagine for myself. So, when a dream is shattered I have to ask myself, “Is there something else God has in mind?”

In his book, Shattered Dreams, Larry Crabb writes,

“There’s never a moment in all our lives, from the day we trusted Christ till the day we see Him, when God is not longing to bless us. At every moment, in every circumstance, God is doing us good. He never stops. It gives Him too much pleasure. God is not waiting to bless us after our troubles end. He is blessing us right now, in and trough those troubles. At this exact moment, He is giving us what He thinks is good.”

God has been faithful through these life-altering circumstances. He has shown me how to walk with Him in the midst of pain and heartache. He has walked right beside me every step of the way.

I don’t have some of the same dreams I had five years ago and to tell you the truth, I am not sure what the future holds, but I know it is bright. I know this because God holds my future. I may still dream things that may never come to fruition and I may still have my heart broken, but this one thing I know for sure: God’s got my best in mind so I don’t need to worry as I am…just living the thing.