Hope In The Desert Print

When Kim and I started our business, we were optimistic. It didn’t take long for the optimism that launched our big dream to fade. For the first eight years, it felt like we were living in the desert. Any encouraging email from a reader, or an order on our store that didn’t come from someone we knew, were like drops of water on a parched tongue.

The dream never died, but we wondered at times if it was merely a mirage. Often, we’d lie awake in bed, wondering if we were officially crazy. We certainly felt like the whole process of scraping to pay bills while struggling to turn a profit was driving us mad. The truth is, a lot of our early dreams never came true.

But I stand before you today to let you know that Elizabeth Barrett Browning was right: God’s gifts do put man’s best dreams to shame.

Like an explorer marooned in a desert, life can be a struggle. Things can seem bleak, desolate, hopeless.

Maybe this feels a lot like you, right now.

During these times, a simple glass of water seems like a priceless treasure. But keep going. Have faith. Stay the course.

What you ultimately encounter may end up putting your original dreams to shame.