Recently, two of us drove around an area in Shell Knob to pray in the community.
There was something that shadowed my heart repeatedly. Good plans and broken dreams. The perfect representation of these thoughts came from a pontoon boat in somebody’s yard.
We saw the pontoon sitting on a trailer with all the tires flat. The remnants of a boat cover were hanging off the sides. It was impossible to tell what color the seats and trim may have been. The wind, dirt, rain, and snow had taken a heavy toll over the time it has been sitting. The wood holding the seats shape had become rotten and the seat vinyl was torn and hanging loose.
My first thought was more junk sitting in a yard. Then I thought about the people involved. I don’t know what shape it was in when it was parked in the yard. I do know that a person brought it home complete with dreams attached. Friends floating on the lake and watching a sunset. Maybe fishing trips with grand children were in the dream.
The new owner might have been getting ready to retire after long years of working and thought they could finally slow down. I will never know what the dreams were, but I know they were broken.
Did the friends stop visiting or the wife or husband die?
Maybe the grandkids never could find time to visit. Maybe the one dreaming passed away before realizing the dreams completion. We don’t know.
We all have dreams. We are also all living in a broken world full of evil and bad things. The one thing that should bring us joy and comfort is God. He is faithful and loving. God has or will fulfill every promise He has ever made to us. He also loves us no matter what. It doesn’t matter what you have done, God will forgive you if you ask. God will love you even if you don’t ask. God is love.
In the Bible, almost every great person commits sin and is forgiven. Moses killed a man. King David committed adultery and had his lover’s husband killed. Father Abraham lied about his wife and later didn’t believe God’s promise and had a child with a slave. Adam and Eve broke the one rule God gave them and brought sin into the world.
God forgave and used each of them to deliver mans salvation. He has a plan to use you as well if you accept His plan for your life.
Dreams become broken because we don’t include God in our lives. He wants joy, peace, and comfort in our lives. He can provide more than you can imagine. Are you thinking, “I can imagine a lot!” God can provide more than that.
Let me help you in a quest to find a church. A good church will teach God’s word as written. They should welcome you as you are. What is important is what is in your heart not what you have or what you are wearing. You should be comfortable and feel loved. Not every church is right for everybody so if you’re not attending a church now visit several until you find where you fit in the kingdom. Allow God and the Holy spirit to guide you to where you should be.
Now, right this week is the time to start looking. You don’t need to know or have read the Bible. You don’t need to learn special words.
Everybody is sinful and everybody is a work in progress.
The first step taken can be the beginning of something awesome in your life. Please take that step.
Al Slavik is the associate pastor at Lakeside Christian Church in Shell Knob.
