Why Do I Have to Go Through This? A 5-Day Plan to Commit Our Lowest to His HighestSample

DAY FIVE:

When we feel like we have nothing to dream for, it is scary even to try because it feels so foreign, like something we do not have access to. I felt this way many times when I was struggling with a lot of health issues and disappointments in college. One of the slogans I would constantly repeat to myself is an F. Scott Fitzgerald quote I found in some late-night Pinterest scrolling. Fitzgerald wrote, “. . . breathing dreams like air.”[1] I loved this phrase because when we wake up in the morning, we breathe without thinking about it. We even breathe all night without having to put a conscious effort in.

In the Psalms, the psalmist describes with awe and wonder what the Lord has done, stating, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host” (Ps. 33:6). All throughout God’s Word, His Breath creates and breathes life back into dead things, reviving broken dreams, broken families, broken circumstances, and broken people.

Breathing life back into our brokenness comes naturally to God. Whether that brokenness is a dream that didn’t come true or simply one that has not come into existence yet, He is there to hold and revive our hearts. Psalms 34:18 says, “If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there. If you’re kicked in the gut, He’ll help you catch your breath” (MSG).

Maybe you’ve felt that way. When we see all the disappointment, bitterness, anxiety, and sadness of our “dark nights” well up in our lives, overwhelming our thoughts, it truly feels like we have been kicked in the gut. Broken dreams feel like suffocation sometimes. Breakups, the death of a loved one, a sickness we never thought we would walk through, betrayal, family hardships—whatever it may be, pain takes our breath away.

So how do we breathe dreams like air? How can we dare to dream again after it feels broken? Life on this side of Heaven simply is not easy, but we have another set of lungs ready to breathe life into us when our hearts get too heavy. God’s Word is not just His Breath but also how we catch our breath. Knowing the Truth of God’s Word is how we live in a sinking world that feels like we are breathing with no air. Even when we are “underwater” with hard things in a certain season, we can breathe.

Enjoyed this devotional? In her book, My Lowest for His Highest, Kat shares with honesty and depth about walking through valleys and days of wilderness. Kathryn delves into the heart of our Heavenly Father when you find yourself amidst a story that is not what you'd hoped it to be.

[1] F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (New York: Scribner, 2004), 161, https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Great_Gatsby/iXn5U2IzVH0C?hl=en&gbpv=1.