When the Dream Never Dies

Here is a copy of an article I wrote for the December issue of the Faith Family Church Women's Ministry Newsletter.

When the Dream Never Dies

Christmas for me has become a time of reflection and a time of hope. My prayer for you this Christmas is that my story will remind you to hold on to the hope from God and encourage you that He is faithful. He is the Dreamgiver and He makes dreams come true, in His time, and in His way.

The story begins at Christmas eight years ago, when Chris and I attended the most beautiful Christmas musical I have ever seen. It was called Child of the Promise, written by Michael and Stormie Omartian. Not only was this a musical of the Christmas story found in the book of Luke, it was also a concert. Each of the actors was a top Contemporary Christian artist at the time. I loved every minute of this musical, the storyline, the music, the set, everything. Of course, I purchased the soundtrack as soon as I could and it remains one of my favorites.

Coincidentally, the year we saw Child of the Promise was the same year that Chris and I decided we were ready to start a family. As you may know, that wasn’t God’s plan at the time. As the years passed, the dream grew and I continued to rely on God’s promises that someday a family would come but each year we were left dreaming. Year after year I listened to the beautiful Christmas music from Child of the Promise and was reminded of the miracles that God works when we are least expecting. It would renew my hope and prepare me for another year of waiting on the Lord.

The main difference between this Christmas story and others I have seen, is that the Christmas story in Luke begins before Mary and Joseph, with Zacharias and Elizabeth, who “in their old age and barrenness” received word from God that they would have a child. That child, as you know, would become known as John the Baptist. The reason this CD and specifically Elizabeth’s song spoke to me so strongly was because of my own “barrenness” and because the most difficult times of my life have occurred around the holiday season. Over the past four years, we have encountered three failed fertility treatments, two failed adoptions, and an ectopic pregnancy, resulting in a surgery which left no question that my body would not conceive a child naturally. All of these trials occurred within the months surrounding Christmas. Each time I would pull out this CD and listen to the song that would become my anthem, the song that expressed my deepest dreams and emotions…Elizabeth’s song.

This Christmas the song is even more special because in His way and in His time, He brought us the money we needed, for the procedure we needed, with the doctor we needed for a successful pregnancy. That’s why I wanted to share this song with you, to give you the hope I have relied on while waiting for my dreams to come true, and to rejoice with me in God’s faithfulness to give me the dream He put in my heart.

WHEN THE DREAM NEVER DIES
Deep in my heart was an ember of longing
Kept warm by the flame of desire
A dream held in secret I yearned to hold openly
Fanned by my hope into fire

It burned to such heat I could touch it no more
So I put it away and then closed up the door
Forever extinguishing all that would keep it alive
But the dream never died

The Lord has done this for me
He has looked on me kindly
He has heard all my cries
He has given me back what I laid at His feet
It must be God
When the dream never dies

Isn’t it just like the Lord to invite me
To put all my dreams in His hands
Forever releasing the grip that once held them
Forever surrendering my plans

And then when He’s certain it’s not born of men
He calls for the fire to rekindle again
And He asks me to know in my heart
What’s not seen with my eyes
So the dream never dies

The Lord has done this for me
He has looked on me kindly
He has heard all my cries
He has given me back what I laid at His feet
It must be God
When the dream never dies