Three Things to Keep in Mind When You’re Losing Hope with Your Dream

Jesus recently gave me the following vision in prayer. I found it very helpful and am sharing it in the hope that it can help you too. 

In the vision, I saw colorful autumn leaves falling to the ground and covering it, as usually happens every year. As I watched them fall, I also began to mentally prepare to get to work to rake them up. However, right when I turned to go get the rake, Jesus stopped me. He told me that I did not need to rake up these leaves and that God has a bigger purpose for them.


I then began to see how the leaves were going to be absorbed into the soil, enriching it with nutrients to make it stronger and better. Jesus showed me how everything I do, whether it succeeds or fails in my eyes, is being used for a greater good. Jesus told me, “Nothing truly dies with Me.”

What a powerful message. It is not a waste when leaves die and fall from the limb of a tree. Good still comes from those leaves. They enrich the soil, improving its ability to grow healthy and strong plants and trees. This is a beautiful metaphor for every hope, dream, goal, or mission we have or have had that we think has failed or seems like it is reaching a dead end. Nothing truly dies with Jesus. He brings good out of everything, even the most negative experiences. 

For example, I once had an interview with an organization in Washington, D.C. that I thought I was perfect for. I even drove five hours and stayed the night at a friend’s house to go to the interview. For whatever reason (you do not need to share your guesses, thank you), they did not hire me. At the time I was discouraged, but I knew that if it was for me, the Lord would have made it happen. I knew His plan for my life was still taking shape and that if that job was best for me and my family, I would have gotten it.


A perspective of this rejection that I could have taken was that my dream to be in this line of work was dead and that I should give up. While at times God can allow rejection to lead you in a new direction, this was not the case for me. He led me to a similar position in a much better location for me and my family, in the south, where we were much better acclimated and more likely to flourish.


However, whatever rejection someone experiences, and whether it leads them in a new direction or not, the rejection itself is what God has deemed good for that person at that time to break ground in their heart to plant certain seeds that will grow and blossom in due time, bearing tremendous fruit in that person’s life.


In the case of my job rejection, while I did learn a lot and grow from the experience professionally, the greatest seed that was planted in me was the best one I could have ever hoped for — humility. Yes, while it is by no means the most fun virtue to learn, it is truly an incredible gift to have. Honestly, I have finally come to understand that it was actually better for me to learn humility than to get that job.


Humility is to view yourself objectively, exactly how you are, how God sees you. You do not view yourself as more or less than you are, but exactly as you truly are. Often, it means lowering your view of yourself, which is why it can be painful for many of us. At other times, it means courageously embracing the gifts God has given you, which can be challenging in a different way. Regardless of which way you need to correct yourself, know that tremendous joy comes from knowing yourself as you truly are. 

Humility is just one good thing that God can bring out of those moments when you feel like your dream has failed or something that you had hoped for seems to have reached a dead end. In fact, it is precisely in these moments that God is inviting you to reflect more deeply on your life to receive the good things that He is bringing to you through what seems like the opposite of what you wanted. I for one know that it is not always very fun to learn this lesson, but once you get through it, you can discover that it is truly worth everything you have gone through.


If you are going through a season where it seems like a dream you had hoped for is dead and gone, or you feel like a mission you believed in is stalling or coming to a dead end, I have a few things to keep in mind that will help you handle the situation and navigate it well. While these won’t always change your circumstances, they will change you, which is far greater and worthwhile for you.



1. Keep the flame of devotion burning. 

At times, when you experience what seems like the dissolution of your dream or mission, it can be easy to respond with bitterness or even distance yourself a bit (or a lot) from the Lord. This is a reminder not to do that. Instead, stay the course in keeping your devotions to the Lord. Continue in prayer, going to church, reading your Bible, and anything else that you would typically do to grow your relationship with Him. If you don’t have any devotions yet, start some. Or if you can, add new devotions to your daily life to ensure that you are fighting off the bitterness and seeking the Lord more in your heart.

2. Do your best to live in gratitude. 

Try your best to see everything as a gift from the Lord. Whether it first appears as good or bad for you, consider how it might ultimately lead to something good. Just like God led me and my family to our current home through a job rejection, so too will He lead you to good through seemingly bad events in your life. Say ‘Thank you’ to God for everything even if you cannot see it. This will program your brain to find joy in everything and make the next step much easier. 

3. Ask God to help you to see your hopes and dreams how He sees them. 

The Bible says that God does not judge by appearances but looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). We should seek to judge our lives in the same way. Often, the hopes and dreams that God has put in our hearts seem to stall or fail only for Him to raise them up again to tremendous success in His timing. 

Ask the Lord to help you discern your own situation and see your hopes and dreams how He sees them. Honestly, sometimes it can look like exactly the opposite of what you thought would happen, only for the Lord to turn things completely around, as He did with Jairus’s daughter in Luke 8:40-56, His friend Lazarus in John 11, and His own resurrection from the dead. 

It is never too late with God. Ask Him to help you see what He is doing and to give you His perspective. It might take some time for you to receive your answer, but don’t give up until you do. Remember, the Lord is always faithful.