The Gift of Shattered Dreams
I had the opportunity to volunteer for Bloom Family Designs recently.
Melissa, the founder, is so sweet and has a huge heart for adoption and foster care. She wanted to do something to support families so she began designing rooms at no cost to the family for adopted/foster kids to help welcome them HOME.
We all can do something, right?
When I left my house that morning, it was just like any other morning. As I drove away that afternoon after organizing a bedroom for two precious little girls, something in me had shifted.
I finally felt grateful for a shattered dream.
Without the messy shattering, I wouldn’t have been in that house, on that day, loving on that family, while serving beside other amazing women whose hearts share a similar reflection to mine.
The Shattering
If you would’ve known me in my early twenties, you would’ve seen a driven, career-oriented Lauren. I followed all the rules and got all the right degrees.
I even landed a job that set me up nicely to climb that golden career ladder. After six and a half years of a solid career path, I walked away. I had lost my passion and desire to climb that career ladder.
I leaped.
I landed a job at a church. Non-profit work combined with my love for the local church, it had to be the right fit for me. Right?
To my logical mind, it made sense. My compassionate side meshing with my business skills in serving the local church would be a perfect fit.
I found myself in post-adoption life walking away from my “perfect” church job.
Every dream I had for my career seemed to be shattering right in front of me. I had spent years of my life and thousands of dollars on an education. I was ready and willing to do big things for God through my career but every path I walked down kept shattering.
What was God doing?
I had a choice to make.
I could give up (allow the struggle to win) and be angry about all of the hard work I'd put in. Or I could live in faith that God would use it in His time and in His own way. Not the way Lauren plans for it to be used. The way God wants to use it.
The Choice
I chose to live in faith.
I have lived most of my adult life in faith that God would lead me into the calling that He has for me. I write about this a lot in my book titled "Made for More." I sometimes wish that God would’ve called me to be a nurse or a teacher. You either heal or teach. It seems very straightforward and simple.
I’ve never had that and I’m accepting the fact that I may never have that.
And that’s OK.
Without the shattering of my idea of a perfect career, I wouldn’t have this gift of looking back and seeing God’s faithfulness. I wouldn’t have this opportunity to serve you through words. I could’ve missed this!
Standing on a mountaintop and looking at a valley thanking God for the shattering is a humbling gift. God’s been so kind to give me small glimpses of how He still worked through some of the toughest points in my career. Never underestimate how God can use our most heartbreaking circumstances.
It has taken some small, quiet yeses and a few large leaps of faith to finally stand on this side. My faith is becoming small glimpses of sight into God’s calling on my life for as much as He lets me see.
Sometimes we find our callings through small steps of obedience.
To be completely transparent, sometimes I long for an office door to hide behind and knock out some amazing spreadsheets or projects. But here’s the thing, while it’s noble to work hard, I used it to hide and that made it wrong for me.
If you’re like me and you’ve struggled to find your calling, rest assured that God has amazing plans for you. Keep giving Him that small yes. Before you know it, you’ll be standing on the other side, maybe on a mountaintop, thanking Him for all those shattered dreams.
And someday you may just find yourself in a room with inspiring leaders putting together beds from IKEA for two special little girls.
What a gift.
Check out the work that Bloom Family Designs does here!
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