Our Dreams and God’s Desires

Think for a moment about the different dreams you’ve carried through your life. What kind of family did you imagine? What career did you picture? What friendships, home, or adventures filled your hopes for the future? Why do we dream the dreams that we do?

If you’re anything like me, many of your dreams have stayed just that—dreams. And often, our dreams rise out of our expectations about what will make us happy. We assume that certain milestones or accomplishments will finally give us the life we want. Yet very few of us ever achieve the exact life we once imagined.

On one hand, that’s not entirely a bad thing. The life we pictured when we were younger was often shaped by unrealistic expectations. If many of those dreams had come true, they might have led us into situations we were not ready for. I can’t imagine living the lifestyle of a sports star or rock star—surrounded by pressures and temptations that could easily pull my heart away from God. And what if I had married the first person I ever had a crush on? Reality rarely matches our adolescent fantasies.

As we mature, we recognize that life is better, safer, and more meaningful when some of our early dreams remain unfulfilled.

But then there are other dreams—dreams we believe are essential to our happiness. The single person may be convinced that marriage is the key to a full life, while the married person might quietly wish for the freedom of singleness. Others believe that a certain job, achievement, or possession is the missing piece that will complete them. And when these dreams do not materialize—or worse, when something cherished is taken away—our world feels as if it has collapsed.

In those moments, we cry out: “God, don’t You care about my happiness? I thought You loved me!” And very often, the response we hear is silence. We pray and pray, and heaven seems unmoved.

But Scripture insists that God does care. Peter writes:

“Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you. Cast all your cares on him, because he cares for you.”

—1 Peter 5:6–7

So we face a tension: If God cares for us, why doesn’t He help us achieve the life of our dreams? Why does He allow disappointment, delay, or loss?

I am convinced the problem is not with God. The problem is with our dreams.

God’s purposes for us are far larger, deeper, and more eternal than our pursuit of earthly happiness. What we want from life and what God desires for our lives are often two very different things.

We dream of being served; God desires that we serve.

We dream of sudden wealth; God desires that we become generous.

We dream of recognition; God desires the quiet faithfulness that only He sees.

To discover the life God has for us, our dreams often must break. Not to crush us, but to awaken us. When our dreams collapse, they create the space for God’s desires to take root.

Until that happens, we will always invest more effort into chasing happiness than pursuing holiness. Yet holiness—not happiness—is God’s ultimate desire for us. James reminds us:

“Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.”

—James 1:2–4

Trials and disappointments shape us into the people God created us to be. They force our gaze upward. They draw us away from illusions and toward reality. They teach us endurance, maturity, and trust.

When we cling tightly to our dreams, we become blind to the better life God desires for us. So sometimes, in His mercy, God lets our dreams shatter—not to harm us, but to free us. Because if we never adjust our focus, we will settle for a life far smaller than the one He intends.

Holiness, purpose, and Christlikeness are found not in the life we dream up, but in the life God is forming within us.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

Living a Fulfilled Life

When life feels uncertain or overwhelming, it’s easy to believe that a fulfilling life depends on our circumstances—on everything finally falling into place. We tell ourselves that once the job stabilizes, the relationship improves, or the finances settle down, then we will have peace. But Scripture tells a different story. True fulfillment doesn’t come from what is happening around us; it flows from what God is forming within us.

The apostle Paul describes this Spirit-formed life in Galatians 5:22–23:

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

This is not a checklist to complete or a standard to measure ourselves against. It is a description of the new life we have received in King Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit is not something we manufacture through effort or willpower; it is the natural result of the Holy Spirit’s transforming presence in our hearts. Just as a healthy tree bears fruit because life is flowing through it, a healthy spiritual life produces love, joy, and peace because the Spirit is at work within us.

Earlier in the chapter, Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. In doing so, he is really describing two very different ways of living. One life is driven by self—shaped by desire, fear, pride, and control. The other is guided by the Spirit—rooted in trust, nurtured by grace, and flourishing in God’s faithful love. A Spirit-shaped life is not defined by external success or stability, but by inner transformation.

Jesus described eternal life not simply as life after death, but as a quality of life that begins now—a life marked by God’s presence and purpose. That’s why the fruit of the Spirit is more than moral guidance; it is visible evidence that eternal life is already taking root within us. When we live by the Spirit, we don’t just behave differently—we are being made new.

This transformation reshapes how we understand fulfillment. Instead of being tied to circumstances, fulfillment becomes anchored in the presence of the Spirit. We discover that joy can exist even in hardship, peace can remain in seasons of uncertainty, and love can endure even when life wounds us deeply. This is one of the great paradoxes of spiritual growth: the more deeply the Spirit forms us, the less power the chaos of the world has over us.

As the Spirit works within us, we begin to experience a deep, steady contentment that circumstances cannot steal away. Fulfillment becomes less about control and more about surrender—trusting that God is faithfully at work, producing something good, beautiful, and lasting in us. The fruit of the Spirit reminds us that God is far more concerned with who we are becoming than with our ability to get everything we want.

So perhaps the daily question we need to ask isn’t, “Are things going my way?” but rather, “What kind of fruit is growing in my life?” Are we becoming more patient, more gentle, more faithful? Are joy and peace taking root even when life feels unstable?

The Spirit is faithful to produce this fruit as we remain connected to Jesus—the true vine (John 15:5). Our calling is not to strive harder, but to stay rooted in King Jesus through prayer, Scripture, worship, and life together in community. As we do, the Spirit grows in us what no amount of effort ever could: a life marked by love, joy, peace, and the very character of God.

Fulfillment is not something we achieve; it is something we receive as the Spirit shapes us from the inside out. May we be people who live from that place—grounded in God’s love, bearing the Spirit’s fruit, and discovering a joy no circumstance can undo.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

Challenge Brings Out the Best

“Human beings, it seems, are at their best when immersed deeply in something challenging.”

— Cal Newport, Deep Work, p. 84

What we think we want isn’t always what we need.

For instance, we imagine that life would be great if we had a long stretch of time when we didn’t have anything to do and no responsibilities. Yet we get a few days off, and after a while we start to feel restless and bored. We need something to do.

Don’t get me wrong—rest is good and absolutely necessary. In fact, God gave Israel the idea of the Sabbath for this very purpose. Yet there’s something odd that happens when free time is all we have: it rarely refreshes us as much as we expected.

One of my favorite habits is flipping back through books I’ve read to revisit the highlights. The other day, while doing this with Cal Newport’s Deep Work, I paused on a quote where Newport summarizes the research of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi—the man who studied the “flow state,” that experience of being fully absorbed in a meaningful, challenging activity. His conclusion?

“Ironically, jobs are actually easier to enjoy than free time, because like flow activities they have built-in goals, feedback rules, and challenges, all of which encourage one to become involved in one’s work, to concentrate and lose oneself in it. Free time, on the other hand, is unstructured, and requires much greater effort to be shaped into something that can be enjoyed.”

I find this fascinating. We tell ourselves that unstructured time is what we need, but the reality is that most of us thrive with the structure that comes with work. Not only does work provide a plan for the day, but it often provides us with the goals and feedback we need to make life productive.

This means having more time to relax won’t necessarily make us happier. Our goal shouldn’t be to reduce effort, avoid stress, and stay comfortable—those things have their place, but I think this research pushes us to consider something deeper about how God designed us.

Why We Crave Challenge More Than Comfort

Newport points out that most people assume happiness comes from leisure. Yet when researchers measured people’s emotional states throughout the day, they consistently discovered the opposite: people were happier at work than during their free time.

Why?

Because meaningful work gives us structure, purpose, and feedback. It engages the mind. It stretches our skills. It calls something out of us. We are created to be productive, and therefore we have a desire in our hearts to spend our lives doing something meaningful.

Free time, on the other hand, is unstructured. It requires intention and effort to shape into something fulfilling. Left on its own, it usually gets filled with scrolling, grazing, or drifting—which often leaves us feeling like we’ve wasted our time.

It’s not that free time is bad—we need time to rest and find restoration. But we need to understand that we come alive when we’re engaged in work that demands our best.

We were made for purpose, not passivity.

A Biblical Echo

This insight into human nature aligns wonderfully with the biblical story of God’s purpose for people.

Adam was not placed in Eden to rest; he was given the responsibility of caring for God’s good creation (Genesis 2:15). Work was part of God’s good design from the beginning.

Paul wrote: 

“But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone” — (1 Thessalonians 4:10-12, CSB).

Wholehearted work is not a curse that resulted from sin. It is the way we take care of God’s creation and represent Him well in the world.

Even Jesus spoke about the satisfaction that comes from doing the Father’s will: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34).

There is joy in meaningful work and productivity. It’s the joy of using what God has given us and not letting time slip through our fingers.

Where We Lose Our Way

Unfortunately, in our modern world, we often make comfort the goal of life. We believe the good life is the easy life. We dream of more vacations and fun, fewer responsibilities, and an escape from anything that requires sustained effort.

But that dream fails us.

A life of ease doesn’t fulfill the desire of our hearts. There’s little doubt that we need moments of rest and relaxation to enjoy the world God has given us, but we also find our purpose through working in this world. 

Adam and Eve were to be stewards of creation, and that responsibility continues in us. This is why we find joy in creating new things and pleasure in bringing old things back to life. It’s why things like gardening, sewing, and woodworking are hobbies that people pursue—they’re outlets for both creativity and productivity, and they bring us rest and satisfaction in the work we’ve accomplished.

Endless scrolling and lounging on the couch may not be work, but they often don’t bring rest either, because they don’t meet the deeper desires of our hearts—desires for meaning and purpose.

It’s crucial to remember: a life of ease doesn’t bring us the happiness we think is there. The joy we need is found on the other side of a structured life and meaningful work.

Your Deep Work Might Be Different—But You Have One

What does this mean for us?

I have to admit that not all work is created equal. Yes, there are times when you feel like you’re just going through the motions at work, and the structure it provides isn’t as beneficial as it used to be. What this means is that we have to be the ones who put structure into our days.

This looks like building in routines that help us exercise, journal, meditate, and pray. It means finding hobbies that become part of our lives—maybe even treating them like appointments in our week—because we know they provide the structure and creativity our hearts need. It’s telling ourselves that things like helping our children with homework, doing dishes, folding laundry, and the thousands of other responsibilities are part of what it takes for our corner of the world to flourish.

Colossians 3:17 has become something of a life verse for me: 

“And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (CSB).

This is the perspective we need to make our work meaningful, because it reminds us that what we do is for the good of God’s Kingdom.

An Invitation to Go Deep

Here’s the question I’m asking myself after reflecting on Newport’s words: What structure do I need to add to my day to make my work meaningful and productive?

This is important because that’s the type of work that brings joy and gratitude into our lives.

And maybe you can ask yourself: Where would I thrive if I allowed myself to be challenged instead of staying distracted and comfortable?

Because here’s the truth Csikszentmihalyi discovered and the Bible affirms:

You were made to stretch.  

You were created to invest.  

You are at your best when you give yourself to something meaningful.

Not endlessly busy.  

Not hurried.  

But deeply engaged.

That’s where joy lives.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

Only Jesus Can Restore Us

J. Heinrich Arnold wrote; "Jesus alone can heal us and give us a new heart.  He came to restore us through his blood, and every heart, however tormented, can find comfort and healing in him" (Freedom from Sinful Thoughts).

Part of the human condition is to look for life apart from God.  At one time or another everyone resembles the church family at Laodicea.  These Christians believed that because of their wealth, their continued prosperity, and their industry that they needed nothing.  They clung to the belief that their hard work, their great economy, and their wonderful city provided for them everything they needed.

The problem was God saw things differently.  They saw themselves as fashionable and wealthy, but God knew they were poor, pitiful, and pathetic (Rev. 3:17).  Their source of life and healing was nothing but a broken cistern, unable to give them what they truly needed.

The counsel Jesus gave to this church was to turn to him and he would give them real wealth, real healing, and real fashion.  These Christian would rather make do with the things of this world than to experience the real life Christ delivered them to live.

So many of us continue to insist on finding hope, healing, and life on our own.  The question I remember Erwin McManus asking in a sermon years ago is relevant to this discussion: "Why do we continue to search for life in dead places?" 

We search for life in good things like relationships, jobs, and traditions.  We search for life in evil things like drugs, pornography, and immorality.  Everything from education to politics to entertainment can be turned into a source of life, healing, and hope.  As we do this we continue to discover that they do not satisfy.

Sooner of later we need to come to the realization that the apostle Paul came to:

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!  —(Philippians 3:7-11; NLT).

This brings us back to the quote from the start: Jesus alone brings healing.  The condition attached to the healing Jesus offers is that we need to set aside what we are clinging to now and come empty handed to him.  It is not easy to break free from the things we have clung onto for so long for identity, life, hope, and healing, but it must be done.  That is what repentance is all about. 

The great news is that healing and true life is available to everyone.  It does matter who you are and what you have done, Jesus offers you healing and life.  Come as you are to Jesus, and he will give you the healing your heart desperately needs.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.