As my husband and I watched The Odd Life of Timothy Green, I could feel grief threaten my calm disposition while the actors aptly portrayed the pain of a couple unable to conceive. My heart broke as they wrote down on paper slips each characteristic they dreamed for a child. They placed the inked dreams in a small cedar box and buried it in their garden. It was their way of moving on.
I blinked away the tears and held down the sobs bubbling out of my chest. “They are burying a dream,” I whispered to Mike. A whisper was all I could muster.
“No, they’re planting a seed,” he countered gently.
My spirit jumped.
Sure, we knew from the preview that a little boy would grow from their garden, but my sweet man’s words walked right past the movie and into my heart. “That’s amazing!” I squealed finding my voice this time.
[tweetability]A buried dream is a planted seed.[/tweetability]
I’m a dreamer.
And I believe we all need dreams to keep us going and give us purpose. I’m also tenacious (for the most part), not willing to give up. So, the thought of burying a dream seemed almost wrong . . . painfully wrong until Mike’s words changed my perspective.
In the movie, the little boy who grew out of their garden was slightly different than what his parents hoped. The characteristics written on papered slips were often fulfilled in quirky ways–sometimes opposite of their dreams but always better.
Seeds never look the same after they bloom either. They are always more beautiful.
Most of us have buried a dream or two. We’ve encountered shut doors so many times that we’ve surrendered to the inevitable heartache and tried to let go of the dream that once pulled us through life. We knew we needed to move forward so we surrendered it to the deepest caverns of our heart to start a new chapter.
Years ago I buried a dream when doors shut firmly in my face. I thought I was okay with this, thankful for the experience of tasting the dream and eager to follow God’s leading for the next season.
But lately I’ve realized that the dream I buried still lives and breathes in me. Its roots go deep. Though painful to relive this desire, it’s reminded me of the necessity to trust God’s goodness and faithfulness. His plans are so much better than mine.
So today I choose to view my buried dream as a planted seed. I know God wants to do much more with my dream than I can. If I don’t surrender to trust, I hold a dead seed in my hand. It has to be buried in order to grow into something beautiful.
Have you buried a dream? Does it help to view it as a planted seed?
You aren’t alone.
Much love,
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Eph. 3:20-21).
[My verse for 2015.]
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Beautiful devotion, Andy! May the Lord continue to anoint your writing and touch others as you have blessed me.
Thank you, Tina! May the Lord do the same for you with your words.
This is so lovely, Andy. What a comforting way to think about things that feel long dead. It changes my perspective. Thanks.
Thanks Terry! Thanks for reading and commenting. Blessings to you. Water that dream!
Oh, Andi. Beautiful and just what I needed in so many ways…
Thanks Heather! So thankful it blessed you. Water that dream!
I really enjoyed this post, Andy. I like your blog and website. Looks great. Waiting on dreams can be such a challenge, particularly when time and circumstance are confusing. Some dreams grow slowly and we wonder if we are chasing after the wind. Good encouragement today, friend.
Thanks Ginger! So great to “see” each other for a minute. Hope all is well. Thanks so much for reading, commenting, and encouraging. So thankful this post encouraged you. I know you know the journey. I pray many blessings on your dream. I know He’s using you.
Beautiful. Thank you.
Thanks, Sondra. :) Water that dream!
Andy,
This is absolutely beautiful! I’m a dreamer, too, and buried dreams are painful. It’s dark under the ground! But to envision them as seeds planted in fertile soil? Wonderful! So hopeful – which of course reflects the assurance we have in Christ.
Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks Jean! We have to have hope don’t we? Thanks for reading and commenting!
I like this post. It certainly offers a different perspective. If you pm me your address, I will send you a copy of a book chapter – the Paschal Mystery – which covers what takes place over the span from Good Friday to Pentencost. I think you will find it interesting.
I do! Thanks Debbie! Thanks for reading and commenting. Can’t wait to read that chapter.