Growing up you usually dream of how your life will be when you are an adult. For most people it involves college, marriage, and kids. As little girls you dream of your wedding day and then the kids you will raise. Ask most any girl and they can tell you their hopes and dreams for their future.
But what happens when that dream fades and reality starts to sneak it’s way in? Can you mourn something you never had, or that was never yours to begin with?
What happens when you look back at your family growing up and realize that it wasn’t anything like you had remembered. You start to see the pain and hurt and anger that had been there all along. You often hear that children are products of their environment. What happens when you realize that you are the complete opposite of your environment? What happens when you see that you don’t want to be anything like the environment you grew up in? Even more, what happens when you realize that you don’t belong in what was once your home?
What happens when the marriage and kids that you had always imagined does not turn out the way you dreamed? Often times two people fall in love and start off on the same path. Somewhere along the way the path gets rocky and will shake you to your core. What happens when the one dream you share splits and you are left alone on your path? What happens when you the pain is too great to carry and you can’t take it any more? What happens when you realize in one moment that the dreams, hopes, and prayers you had are wasted and tossed aside?
Can you grieve for a family member that is still alive? Can you mourn for a child that was never yours? Can you let go of a dream that will never be?
God gives us the strength we need for each day. He is already there and knows what and who we will need that day. Sometimes, even if it was never yours to begin with, you need to let it go and give it to God.