"Dreaming Amidst the Shattered Glass" by Meredith Houston Carr

In today’s episode, you’ll hear a devotion written by Meredith Houston Carr based on Ephesians 3:20-21, which says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (NIV).

We hope today’s devotion reminds you that even when your circumstances can’t change, God can always change your heart and renew your perspective. 

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What is Encouragement for Today Podcast?

Life can be so challenging sometimes — we each understand this all too well. It’s not only the big things that seem out of our control, but it's also the little things we face each day. We forget our keys. A friend cancels on us. Our bank card gets declined. We wake up anxious. Negative thoughts fill our mind. It doesn’t take much to leave us feeling hopeless, confused, exhausted or stressed. We wonder what God has to say about what we’re experiencing, but sometimes just getting through the next few hours is hard enough. That’s why Proverbs 31 Ministries created the Encouragement For Today Podcast — a collection of 50 devotions to help you start your day with a biblical perspective you can carry with you no matter what lies ahead.

It had been a particularly exhausting day. My special needs son was driving me a special kind of crazy. My daughters couldn’t share a single toy without erupting into ear-piercing shrieks. The to-do list multiplied. So in an effort to preserve my unraveling sanity and restore order, I called a time-out for each child.
But my son didn’t see this time-out as a good thing. Emotion overwhelmed him, and he struggled to regulate the storm in his unique, autistic mind. In a flash, he grabbed a framed baby picture and hurled it onto the bathroom floor. Hard tile met fragile glass in a clash with no winner — only hundreds of jagged shards.

After ensuring his safety and cleaning up the mess, I stared at that picture. Shattered glass lay in random bits and pieces across the image of my husband and me, gazing at our son’s newborn perfection.
Hot tears bubbled up and spilled over, with liquid pain pouring down my face. This broken picture symbolized a deeper brokenness permeating my heart, for glass wasn’t the only thing to shatter in that moment. My dreams of what it would be like to mother this sweet boy shattered, too.
The new mom in that picture never imagined autism becoming a part of her story.

In agony, I cried out to my heavenly Father, and in His unceasing kindness, He brought to mind today’s key verse:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Those words, “immeasurably more,” pierced my aching heart. I was gently convicted of the small box I’d put God into — how I’d inadvertently transferred my own narrow vision of motherhood to Him.

In my pain, God opened my eyes to the reality that His plans reach far beyond what my fallible eyes can see. He overwhelmed my heart with love for moms and dads who, like me, face shattered dreams of their own. He infused me with hope that perhaps my pain could be the very thing that draws me into a deeper, sweeter fellowship with Him and with others facing a similar heartache.

And He graciously reminded me that even when I’m staring down circumstances that likely will not change, He can always change me. His joy and hope stand freely available, even as I tiptoe along the broken path.
When our dreams fall apart, it’s hard to imagine something better is possible. But the truth in today’s key verse gives us a powerful promise we can cling to in the face of disintegrating plans.

Shattered dreams are no reason to stop dreaming. Because of His great power at work within us, we can keep on dreaming. For where we see brokenness, God sees “immeasurably more” than even our wildest dreams!

Dear one, God is bigger than your greatest heartache and most shattering disappointment. He is undoubtedly good — even when your path is littered with broken glass. Broken glass is not the end of your story. Indeed, it may very well be the beginning.

Today, may we humbly, and with hearts full of hope, bring God our broken pieces. And may we trust Him enough to keep on dreaming.

Heavenly Father, thank You for dreaming bigger than we could ever dream for ourselves. Take our shattered glass, and turn it into something beautiful, for our good and Your glory. Help us trust in Your heart of goodness toward us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.