The Courage to Start Over
Facing a new beginning after loss, failure, divorce, or a major life change? In this episode, discover how God specializes in new things, making pathways through your wilderness and rivers in your desert when you have the courage to start over.
Facing a new beginning after loss, failure, divorce, or a major life change? In this episode, discover how God specializes in new things, making pathways through your wilderness and rivers in your desert when you have the courage to start over.
Have you ever watched a dream die and wondered if you had the strength to try again?
Starting over is one of the hardest things we do. Whether it's after a divorce, a job loss, a health crisis, or a failure you never saw coming, new beginnings often come wrapped in grief. You're not just stepping forward, you're leaving something behind. And the fear of failing again can make it feel easier to stay stuck than to risk another disappointment.
In this episode, we look at the story of R.A. Dickey, a promising Major League pitcher whose career nearly ended before it began. Doctors discovered he was born without a ligament in his throwing arm that should have made pitching impossible. His signing bonus was slashed. He spent years bouncing around the minor leagues, getting cut over and over. By most standards, he was a washout. But in desperation, he reinvented himself by learning the knuckleball, and at age 37, when most careers are ending, he won the Cy Young Award.
Through his story and the promise of Isaiah 43:18–19, you'll see that God doesn't waste your wilderness seasons. He specializes in new beginnings. The end of one dream might just be the beginning of something you never saw coming.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:
- Why looking backward at what you lost can keep you from seeing what God is doing now
- How Isaiah 43:18–19 reframes your wilderness as the very place where God creates new pathways
- What it looks like to take the next step forward when you're scared, uncertain, and starting from scratch
The closed door isn't the end. The failure isn't final. God is already doing something new—and He's inviting you to have the courage to step into it.
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A promising major league pitcher gets devastating news
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that changes everything. R. A. Dickey was on the verge of his
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big break when doctors discovered he was born without
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an ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm. I don't know
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what that is either, but it's a defect that should have made
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pitching impossible. His signing bonus was slashed overnight. He
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spent years bouncing around the minor leagues, getting cut,
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getting called up, getting sent back down again, and he nearly
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quit baseball quite a few times. By most standards, he was a
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washout and a failure who couldn't catch a break. When
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your original dream keeps dying, why would you have the courage
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to start over again?
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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and
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today we're talking about something many of us face at
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different points in life. That's the courage to start over.
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18-19 says, "But forget all that. It is nothing
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compared to what I am going to do, for I am about to do
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something new. See? I have already begun. Do you not see it?
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I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create
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rivers in the dry wasteland..." God spoke these words to Israel
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when they were stuck. Stuck in exile, stuck in disappointment,
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and stuck looking back at what they had lost. And in that stuck
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place, God says something surprising: "Forget all that. I
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am about to do something new." That doesn't mean your past
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doesn't matter, or that your pain wasn't real. It means God
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isn't limited by what's behind you. He's not stuck, even when
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you feel stuck. I know, starting over is hard. Whether it's after
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a divorce, a job loss, a health crisis, a ministry failure, or a
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dream that died, new beginnings often come wrapped in grief.
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You're not just stepping forward; you're leaving something behind.
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And that takes courage. But here's what I want you to see.
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The very thing that feels like an ending might actually be the
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setup for something you never saw coming. God is the God of
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new beginnings. He doesn't waste your wilderness seasons. What He
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does is, He uses them. Think about how many people in
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Scripture had to start over. Abraham left everything familiar
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at 75 years old. Moses spent 40 years in the desert before God
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called him back. David went from anointed king to fugitive,
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hiding in caves. Peter denied Jesus and had to be restored.
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Paul went from persecutor to apostle. Over and over, God
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takes broken stories and writes new chapters. And He can do the
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same for you. Maybe you're in a wilderness right now. Your plans
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fell apart. Your marriage ended. Your career collapsed. Your
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health failed. And you're wondering if there's anything
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left to build on. God says, "Do you not see it? I have already
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begun." Sometimes, a new thing God is doing is hard to see
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because we're still looking backward. We're mourning what
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was instead of watching for what could be. But God invites us to
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lift our eyes. He's making a pathway. He's creating rivers.
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The desert you're in is not your final destination. In
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desperation, Dickey reinvented himself by learning the
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knuckleball, a pitch most players never master and few
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even attempt. That kind of throw took the strain off his pitching
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arm. It took years of failure and frustration to figure it out.
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But at age 37, when most careers are ending, Dickey won the
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National League Cy Young Award with the New York Mets. In his
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memoir, "Wherever I Wind Up," he credits his faith for giving him
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the courage to keep starting over when doors kept closing.
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His wilderness years became the training ground for his greatest
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success. God specializes in new beginnings. He can make a
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pathway through the wilderness of your failed plans and create
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rivers in the desert of your disappointment. The end of one
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dream might just be the beginning of something you never
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saw coming. Maybe you need to hear that today. The closed door
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isn't the end. The failure isn't final. The loss isn't the last
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word. God is doing something new and he's inviting you to have
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the courage to step into it. Starting over doesn't mean you
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have to have it all figured out. It means you take the next step,
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trusting that God is making a way even when you can't see it
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yet. It means you stop staring at the rearview mirror and start
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looking for the pathway he's already begun to create. Here's
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today's challenge. Think about one area of your life where
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you're afraid to start over. Maybe it's a dream that died or
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a relationship that ended. Or it could be a failure that still
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haunts you. Instead of staying stuck in what was, ask God to
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open your eyes to what he might be doing now. And then, pray
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something like this. "Lord, I've been looking backward at what I
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lost. Help me to see the new thing you're doing. Give me the
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courage to step forward even when I'm scared. Make a pathway
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through my wilderness and rivers in my desert. I trust you, I
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trust you, with my new beginning. had been different.
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In Jesus' name, Amen.
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If this episode encouraged you, would you share it with someone
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who's facing a new beginning and needs to be reminded that God
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isn't done with their story? Just send them the link from the
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show notes. They may need this hope today. Thanks for joining
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me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, God
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specializes in new things. He can make a way in your
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wilderness and rivers in your desert. Come back next time for
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more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth.
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Until then, God bless and have a great day.
