The Day After A Dream Comes True

As I opened my eyes to see the early morning light breaking into the hotel room, the words don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened rang through my mind. Hours earlier I stood cheering and singing along with roughly 10,000 ecstatic fans as I fulfilled a dream I’d had for years to see my favorite band, NEEDTOBREATHE, play Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado. I’ve followed these guys since the early 2000’s when a local news story about lead singer Bear Rinehart (who at the time played football at Furman University) brought them to my attention and over the past two decades, I’ve watched these fellow Upstate South Carolina natives grow from playing festivals and small clubs to coliseums and arenas with the hope to one day see them at Red Rocks. Years of hoping turned into months of anticipation once I secured my tickets last fall and the dream came true on Sunday May 19, 2024.

And then came Monday morning, when I awoke to the reality that the thing I’d looked forward to for so long was over.

Endings have always been hard for me. I still remember crying as a child on the way home from our family beach trips, heavy laden with sadness that something so good had to come to an end. I deeply feel the tension that God has “set eternity in the human heart” yet we live in a world of temporary moments (Ecclesiastes 3:11). My heart wants to stay in what is good and beautiful, but time won’t allow it.

So, what exactly is one supposed to do when the thing she’s dreamed about is over?

Honestly, my natural reaction is to search for the next “thing” to long for. I find myself restlessly seeking a new concert to put on the calendar. Another vacation to book. Another epic experience to dream about. And while it’s certainly not a bad thing to find other things to look forward to or new dreams to chase, I know in my soul that at some point those things will end too and I can never find the eternal satisfaction I ache for in temporary things.

As I’ve been thinking about this and asking God to give me wisdom about how to move forward after one of the greatest experiences of my life, the Lord has directed me to two things:

Rejoice over the gift and reorient my heart toward the Giver.

I believe with all my heart that my experience at Red Rocks was a gift from God. My whole weekend in Colorado pointed me back to this verse in James:

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17, NIV).

God displayed his kindness and generous grace throughout my trip. I truly felt seen and known by the God who understood this dream in my heart and orchestrated a perfect weekend as he brought it to fruition. And don’t even get me started on the concert itself. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. NEEDTOBREATHE and Judah & the Lion killed it and delivered an awesome show! It was an amazing night that I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.

So, of course, rejoicing over this gift is a proper response. I allow my heart to fill with gratitude and joy. I smile and tell others about the tremendous blessing I received. I cherish the sweet memories engraved in my mind and carry them with me as I walk into the days ahead.

But if I’m not careful, I can end up loving the gift more than the Giver and that deepens the disappointment that it’s gone.

To move beyond the grief that a good thing has come to an end, I have to reorient my heart from the temporary gift towards the eternal Giver. I must shift my affection back to my good and perfect Heavenly Father from whom all blessing flow. As I do, I find that the finite becomes infinite. A temporary concert turns into praise toward the eternal God who brilliantly created music and gifted musicians with the ability to connect with others through song. Photos turn into wonder and awe toward the one who majestically raised mountains and filled the earth with beauty. Memories turn into reminders of God’s goodness and kindness.

While my weekend may be over, his love and generosity know no end. The best is yet to come, and I dare say my earthly dreams, while well-intentioned and admirable, are far too small compared to the spiritual blessings, gifts, and purposes he has for me.

So, what does one do when the thing she’s looked forward to is over? She’s smiles and thinks, how good of God to give me this. She finds her greatest joy in knowing and loving her eternally generous Father and she places her highest hope in one day being with him forever in a world where she will never wake up sad that something wonderful is over.