Hope is broken.

It does not always shine.

It comes and goes like wind, and when you reach out for it, it fades.

Satan buries it beneath the earth so you must dig it out.

He throws it in the sea so you will have to fish it back up,

Reeling in your line, time after time, until you are tired.

I am a dreamer.

It’s a natural part of me.

Sometimes you can dream without hope, like little stories that play

in your head each night as you wait for the sweet release of sleep.

You tell yourself they mean nothing; they are just small and simple,

Wandering what-ifs that you know cannot and will never be.

I like dreams with hope.

But hope’s broken, remember?

Dreams that have hope are barely out of reach, almost touchable,

an illusion of the mind, a mirage for the thirsty soul.

Here’s the thing about those kinds of dreams—one important detail:

If you choose to hope in your dreams, you must also learn to trust.

Because dreams are void

Without trusting in God’s plan.

They are like ghosts; you hear them knock, and yet you cannot see them.

They play in your mind like a song, but you cannot sing along.

You spiral, throw your head in your hands, scream because they taunt you.

They dance within your reach, offer their hand, and then pull away.

Then you learn to trust.

True, dreams might still pull away.

But God knows the routine. He has planned the choreography.

One day they will reach out, and you’ll touch the dancer’s fingertips.

You’ll grasp their hand, soft and warm, a long-awaited desire.

They will pull you in close and tight, a hope fulfilled, a trust blessed.

You’ll still know the pain

Of the years you spent waiting.

But in their embrace your heart will soften, and those wounds will heal.

You’ll feel happy, though not perfect or absent from suffering.

For trust, the most important muscle of that dance, is trained up,

Made strong in those years you spend waiting to enter the dance floor.

I leave you with this.

As you trust, hope will burn bright.

Those untouchable dreams will feel closer, though still out of reach.

There will be assurance they are drawing nearer, inch by inch.

With trust, hope thrives. It is not broken anymore—but mended.

Trusting that your dreams are in the arms of God, hope becomes whole.