Jump Start # 3806
Ecclesiastes 9:4 “For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.”
I stood at the edge of the shore and watched a sailboat heading toward the horizon. As I watched, the boat became smaller and smaller as it sailed out of sight. I continued to watch until I could see the boat no longer. I stood watching, hoping and waiting for the boat to return, but it never did. As darkness fell upon the sky, I could no longer see. The boat was gone and it wasn’t coming back. I was supposed to be on that boat. The boat was my dreams, but now those dreams were gone. Feeling sad and empty it was time to return home. Part of me wanted to stay. Part of me held on to hope that my dreams would return, but they never did.
Such is the feeling for many people. They build a life living for dreams that will never be. They dream of having a family that is loving and close, but because of different factors, that doesn’t happen. The boat sails on without them. For others, they dream of reaching retirement with plans to travel and do things, but health or finances prevent that from happening. The boat sails on without them. For some, it’s even spiritual dreams they hold dear to them. They dream of serving as a shepherd in God’s church, but that dream doesn’t come true. The boat sails on without them. Others longed to open their home up for others and be an oasis and refuge of hospitality. But that never happens. The boat sails on without them.
One of the hard things to deal with in life is when we realize that our dreams will not come true. The boat sails on without us. That can leave one feeling empty, disappointed and having to figure out what to do now.
Barren Hannah had a child. Years after a promise, Sarah had a child. They saw their dreams come true. But for many others, that never happens. People, circumstances, choices made earlier in life, all shape whether our dreams come about. Some dreams are fanciful, unrealistic and even selfish. But others have good plans, goals and dreams. And, even with that, some times the boat sails on without us.
Here are a few thoughts on this:
First, don’t stop dreaming. One may have to adjust or even change their dreams, but don’t quit dreaming. The thoughts of a young person often needs the seasoning of maturity and that will adjust and alter one’s dreams. As one grows in faith, their dreams change and reflect that spiritual influence.
Second, be careful of cheap expressions that are intended to make one feel better, but they usually don’t. Whenever God closes one door, He opens another, may sound nice, but one would be hard pressed to prove that Biblically. Turning lemons into lemonade might work in a kitchen, but it doesn’t do much in life. Doors are shut. Boats do sail away. Opportunities are lost. That is life. But it is not the end of the world. We reflect. We learn.
Third, our verse today, a live dog is better than a dead lion, speaks of hope and opportunity. The lion may be the king of the jungle. He may be more powerful and fierce compared to a dog, but once the lion is dead, there is nothing to fear. Life, like a river, makes adjustments and changes. Some do well with that and others don’t. Some like the adventure and others hate it. But as long as there is life within you, you have things you can do in the kingdom. You may not serve as a leader, but you can still be a servant among God’s people. Maybe time and chance keeps you from doing what you are passionate about, yet, there are still things that you can be useful and beneficial at.
Some may have to work longer than they wanted to. Some may have to raise grandkids on a daily basis. Some may be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of their days. Some may become a widow or a widower much sooner than they expected. Some may never get to grow old with their mate.
Years ago, driving down a highway that had been cut through a rocky cliff, I saw a tree growing through the rocks. Now, no highway worker planted a tree there. The winds or birds dropped a seed into the crevice of those rocks. There was just enough soil and sunlight for the seed to start growing. And, right there the tree bloomed where it was planted. And, such is life. We would like to be a stately oak tree that lines a fine drive up to a beautiful mansion. Instead, we are a shaggy tree sticking out of a rock along some highway. It’s certainly not the place we’d thought we’d be. This is not how we dreamed life would be. Bloom where you are planted. Paul understood this. When in prison and unable to preach to crowds, the prison became his congregation. He bloomed where he was planted. And, maybe, just maybe, sticking out of rocks, along a highway is where God wants us to be all along. Maybe through our roots, we are holding the rocks from coming down upon the highway below. Maybe we are adding some beauty to what would be an ugly rock ledge.
Bloom where you are planted.
I stood at the edge of the shore and watched a sailboat heading toward the horizon. I stood watching the boat get smaller and smaller as it sailed out of sight. I waited and waited, but the boat never returned. It was time to go home. It was time to bloom where I was planted.
Roger