Because Nightmares Won't Last Forever: Our Advent Hope

On the beginning of Advent and nightmares and Matshona Dhliwayo and my prayer that you would know that darkness never has the final word.

(It’s Advent! Over the next four weeks, I will be posting three times a week because I have much to say and because Advent is the perfect time for us to talk about mysteries and angels and quiet and wilderness and welcome. In each post, I will end with a couple of my very favorite quotes related to the topic of the day. If you are like me and have memory problems, maybe these short one-liners will stick with you a little bit longer. :)

AND» if you have a topic you’d like me to write about in the coming weeks, please message me! For now, let’s start at the beginning — with nightmares.)

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Some day I will write more about the philosopher and author Matshona Dhliwayo. But for today, as another season of Advent begins, I want to talk about nightmares.

I am sorry.

No one wants to hear about nightmares as we celebrate Christ’s birth! But if we rewind to what Advent is, we find that it isn’t just about Christ’s birth — it’s about WHY we need Christ’s birth.

While joy and celebration are central themes as we move through Advent, Advent is also a season of reflection, waiting, and anticipation. It’s about sitting in darkness and anticipating something really good to come — and believing in hope that good, great, — nay! — wonderful things will come.

It’s the before and after story. It’s the before Jesus and after Jesus. The living without faith and living in faith. It’s movement towards something good.

Alone → Together.

Lost → Found.

Fear → Courage.

Broken → Healed.

Despair → Joy.

Anger → Forgiveness.

Failure → Redemption.

So I will write about nightmares as we start Advent, and why our worst nightmares simply can’t last forever. They weren’t meant to. My memory fails me on where I heard this, but I once heard a podcaster share that if something doesn’t feel like a good ending, it’s probably not the end. (This deserves serious consideration and likely an 800-word tome of a book, but for now, please trust me on this.)

Anyways, back to Matshona Dhliwayo.

Dhliwayo once wrote,

“Our most beautiful dreams are born from our most unpleasant nightmares.”

At first glance, this idea seems strange, even a little too optimistic, right? How could something beautiful come from something as painful as a nightmare? Yet, as we enter the Advent season — a season of waiting, hope, and anticipation — I’ve been reminded that this is exactly how God works in our lives.

The hard, uncomfortable, and even heartbreaking moments we face are not wasted. God uses them to shape us, to refine us, and to bring about something beautiful and redemptive.

In our own lives, nightmares come in many forms. I have literal nightmares when I sleep. All of the time. I remember when they started years ago — waking up and thanking God that it was only a dream. But some nightmares aren’t dreams at all. When my mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 bile duct cancer with no warning in July 2022, my whole world went dark.

Maybe for you, an unexpected diagnosis has thrown your world off course. Maybe a relationship is falling apart or a dream you’ve poured your heart into is shattering unexpectedly. Maybe you are watching someone you love hurt. Or you’ve been left alone, unwanted.

These are the moments that leave us gasping for breath, wondering if God is really working in the middle of the mess.

But the good news is that He is.

He is.

Do you hear that? That’s Advent.

Nightmares in the Bible — and Today

Scripture shows us time and again that God doesn’t abandon us in our darkest moments. Instead, He enters in, walks with us, and transforms even the most difficult circumstances into part of His greater purpose.

Take Joseph, for example.

His nightmare started with betrayal. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused, and forgotten in prison, Joseph must have wondered where God was in all of it! But every step of his pain brought him closer to the place where God would use him to save nations.

The betrayal that seemed like an end was actually part of the beginning of God’s incredible plan. And Joseph was able to look back and say,

“What you meant for evil, God meant for good” (Genesis 50:20).

Then there’s Mary, who faced her own nightmare when she learned she would bear the Messiah. Imagine the fear, the uncertainty, the potential rejection! Yet, in the midst of all that, she said yes. Her obedience and courage turned what could have been a terrifying journey into the most beautiful story ever told.

And of course, there’s Jesus, who faced the ultimate nightmare in Gethsemane. The weight of the world was on His shoulders, and He cried out to God, asking if there was any other way. He was told no. The worst no ever, perhaps.

Yet, Jesus trusted His Father’s plan, even when it meant facing the cross. And through His obedience, the world was forever changed.

This is what Advent is all about — waiting with hope.

In the nightmare of July 2022, when I watched my sweet mom be diagnosed with cancer, deteriorate at a horrifically fast pace, and eventually go to be with Jesus, I thought I might die, too. No, really.

And I thought I would never see joy again.

But in that nightmare, long and painful though it was, God restored my joy and taught me about His faithfulness to me, and about His love for my mom and for my family.

The light shines brightest in the dark, and God is never absent from our struggles. Advent is a time when we are reminded that Jesus came to transform our nightmares into beautiful, unexpected dreams.

In Him, our darkest moments can give birth to something beautiful. I’ve lived it.

Do You Have a Nightmare, too?

We all have our own “nightmares” in life. They may not look like anything we read about in the Bible, but they are real and painful just the same.

So how can we live out this idea of finding beauty and redemption in the midst of our struggles? Here are a few ways we can apply this truth to our everyday lives:

1. In times of hardship, trust God’s plan. Joseph’s life was a rollercoaster of heartache, but God was with him every step of the way. When we’re in the middle of our own struggles, we can trust that God is at work even when we don’t see it. What might feel like a setback could actually be part of His plan for something better.

2. In moments of uncertainty, choose faith. Mary’s faith didn’t come from knowing all the answers. She chose to trust God even when the path ahead was unknown. When faced with challenges, we too can choose faith, knowing that God’s plan is bigger than our circumstances.

3. In suffering, look to Jesus for strength. Jesus’s agony in Gethsemane reminds us that suffering isn’t something to avoid — it’s part of the journey. Easier said then done! Jesus showed us that even in our darkest moments, we can trust that God’s plan WILL be greater than our pain. I know, easier said than done! I am sorry!

❤️ Quotes to Remember & A Prayer for Your Life

As you begin this Advent, if you feel as though you are living in darkness and that a great light needs to come, here are a few quotes that have inspired me over the years:

“The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.” – Walt Disney

"Out of difficulties grow miracles." – Jean de La Bruyère

"The darkest hour has only sixty minutes." – Morris Mandel

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:5

My prayer for you is that this Advent you would see how darkness never has the last word. My prayer is that you would believe in hope and that you would see the light of Jesus shine brighter and brighter even when it seems impossible.

And my prayer for you, dear friend, is that your nightmare would become the most glorious and beautiful dream of all.

💚 Much love,

Laurie