The American dream had almost been guaranteed to me if I followed a certain set of guidelines. And to this point, it had proven to be a legitimate guarantee. From the outside looking in, mine was the story of a normal American kid raised by a normal family in a normal home. I went on to earn my medical degree and became a family physician. It was one version of what every American strives for.
But when the so-called American Dream was taken from me, it didn’t take long to realize this wasn’t the dream I should have been seeking. My tragedy had a way of awakening my spirit to what was really important in life. The dream I should have been after could not be reached by any work I could do, but only by resting in the work already done by someone. Someone I already knew a lot about but had never fully known. His name was Jesus.
Normally, when people come face to face with their pride, it’s because of a traumatic event that caused them to rethink everything about themselves, who they are, and why they’re on this earth. That’s exactly what happened to me. Just when I thought I had it all together, something took place that stripped it all away. And while I’m not going to say that God caused it to happen, I will say that he used it to wake me up spiritually, to re-prioritize my life, and to realize what’s really important.
