Catalyst Track: Stop Thieves from Stealing Your Dream // Day Two

We can’t just wish away thieves from stealing our dreams. We must be proactive.

Do you have a dream you feel like is hanging in the balance? Or maybe you feel like it’s just gone. Either way, where do you go from here?

In this 3-day track from the Catalyst App, Philip Wagner, author of Unlock Your Dream, shares three ways to “stop dream thieves in their tracks.”

Whether you are currently experiencing a disappointed dream or you know a friend or someone you lead who is, you can recover and keep your capacity to dream alive!

Are you ready? 

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DAY 2: Keep the Faith

 

People and heartbreaks go together way too often. People and joy go together also. How do we handle the heartbreaks? This is a life and death question. The part of our hearts that loves life and loves people is the same part that screams when broken. The part of our hearts that dreams big dreams and pursues imaginative goals is the part that we have to take care of and nurture when our hearts have been shattered.

 

I drove with a friend one afternoon to hear a guest speaker at a church. My energy was low and my faith wavering from a recent disappointment. It was a rainy day, and my brain was telling me what my heart struggled to believe: Everything will be okay.

 

The speaker told a familiar story that I’d heard before, but it still inspired me, because I needed to find a faith greater than my circumstances. The story was about Horatio Spafford, a wealthy and thriving Chicago lawyer who owned a beautiful home and had a loving wife and family. He was also a dedicated Christian.

 

At the peak of his success, however, he suffered a great loss when his only son died. And then another tragedy hit when the Great Chicago Fire de­stroyed almost every real-estate investment he had. Later, he planned a trip to Europe with his family. Some last-minute business arose, so he sent his wife and four daughters ahead, with the intent to follow them once he handled his affairs. But tragedy struck again when he received word that the ship his fam­ily had been on sank, killing more than two hundred people on board, in­cluding all of his daughters. He received a telegram from his wife, which stated, “Alone survived. What shall I do?”

 

Spafford boarded a ship right away that would take him to his wife in England. He was heartbroken and in anguish. As his ship passed the area where his daughters had drowned, he penned the words that would become a reminder to millions of Christians of what unshakable faith really is.

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

Horatio Spafford had great successes, but clearly he was not unfamiliar with pain, tears, and tragedy. Yet his faith seems to come from somewhere unfamiliar to many dreamers. He was ruled by a faith that was bigger than the circumstances he endured.

 

Our faith grows strong against the thieves of heartbreak when we live in the reality of Paul’s revelation: “The peace of God, which surpasses all under­standing, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7 NKJV)

 

REFLECT: Answer these two questions:

• What is the bigger picture going on in the midst of your pain and disappointment?
• How does knowing this strengthen you in your faith and give you peace?