Mindsoulness – where mind and soul meet!

Once a month I have the privilege to facilitate a Spiritual Care session at the Kelowna General Hospital. The purpose of these sessions is to help the patients of the psychiatric unit to receive additional support through their healing process and journey. I truly and honestly believe that Spiritual Health is as important as Mental Health. Unfortunately, this is not yet properly recognized in our society’s health system. But this is a conversation for another time.

Last Friday, I held one of these sessions. I prepare in advance using prayer, meditation, and research to find an appropriate topic of discussion. I bring one value or principle every time I do this, and the one I brought to the group on this particular occasion was about “Determination,” which is, in a few words, the power of intent that drives our goals.

At some point the conversation focused on the following quote by Haley Hoffman, a modern influencer from New York City: “Your dream is bigger than any setback.” The conversation became more targeted and personal, and some shared their own dreams, and interestingly enough, these dreams were all about helping others in difficult times. In the end, we all understood that life is tough and recognizing this is a huge opportunity to deal on what comes our way that is unpleasant, which happens almost constantly.

This valuable interaction has made me reflect on what overcoming setback looks like and what it has meant to me.

Dreams That Endure Through Storms

Since I was a little kid, my parents and teachers had high expectations about me. I vividly remember being in my Third-Grade class and my teacher asking me to read a story from our schoolbook. At the end of the reading, the teacher told the rest of the class that I was an example of dedication and that I would do well in life. I felt pretty good and was happy to share this praise with my parents.

Life was pretty good for a few years, but then the first painful experiences started to come. In the years from 1974 to 1976, I lost my two grandmothers and an aunt. One of the grandmothers and my aunt lived in our house and I was the one who was next to my grandma when she had the stroke that would eventually take her life. My grandma was my first educator. She taught me to read, to sing opera, and to enjoy homemade, fresh cooking. At some point she had to be taken to the hospital. The last time I saw her, she was in a hospital bed, in her underwear, attached to many tubes helping her to “stay alive.” She couldn’t speak or move, but when I kissed her and she saw me, a tear dropped from her right eye. This experience was the beginning of “growing up” and started to leave a mark on my previously joyous experience of childhood life.

A year later, my aunt, who, five years before, had suffered from breast cancer but had been declared in remission, started to feel very sick. Her cancer had come back. I saw her withering in the two months after that, until one night, my father woke me up with the words: “She is gone.” What I saw on that bed was not my aunt but an empty shell, and an ugly one at that. This put a further dent in my expectation of a “perfect life” deprived of anguish and other difficulties. I asked myself” “Are pain and death all that is in life?”

As I moved forward in the following years, I experienced good things again, but also disappointments and anxieties and a variety of many different emotions, including deep depression early in my life.  But there is hope and I found a personal understanding that living is actually a great experience with all that brings, good and bad, pleasure and pain, joy and sadness, and more.

Over the years I finally came to terms with the truth that Life’s journey is often marked by both aspiration and adversity. We dream boldly—of fulfilling callings, uplifting others, or leaving a legacy of love and light. Yet setbacks inevitably come, shaking our confidence and threatening to overshadow our hopes. In these moments, the statement “Your dream is bigger than any setback” becomes more than motivational—it becomes a spiritual truth. Dreams, when rooted in purpose and faith, can withstand the storms of discouragement and emerge even stronger.

The Refining Power of Opposition

In the Latter-day Saint tradition, the religion I belong to, we are taught that mortal life is a time of testing, growth, and refinement. The Book of Mormon reminds us: “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.” — 2 Nephi 2:11

Setbacks are not only expected; they are essential for progression. God plants in our hearts divine desires—dreams that, when aligned with His will, cannot be permanently derailed. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland beautifully said: “Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come.”

The Bible echoes this truth: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” — Romans 8:28

A few nights ago I enjoyed watching the show “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which tells the story of Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons. Joseph of Egypt’s dream was tested by betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment. But God used each setback to prepare him for leadership. What appears as failure may be divine preparation. With faith, even detours are part of destiny.

Other Perspectives

In Islam, setbacks are approached with sabr (patience) and tawakkul (trust in Allah). The Qur’an teaches: “Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear.” — Surah Al-Baqarah 2:286. The Prophet Muhammad said: “Amazing is the affair of the believer… If something good happens to him, he is grateful… if something harmful happens, he is patient, and that is good for him.” (Sahih Muslim) Dreams pursued with trust and perseverance are never lost in Islam—they are preserved in divine wisdom.

Confucianism offers a moral and philosophical lens on resilience. Confucius said: “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” In Confucian thought, setbacks are character tests. A noble person (junzi) does not escape hardship but embraces it as part of personal cultivation. The dream—whether of service, virtue, or harmony—is made real through patient persistence.

Divine Dreams and Personal Revelation, and Preparation

Latter-day Saints understand that revelation often comes in the form of righteous desires. Patriarchal blessings, spiritual impressions, and callings confirm that dreams can be divine. President Russell M. Nelson said: “The Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that can’t come without it.” Your dream may not unfold all at once—but if it’s God-inspired, no setback can cancel it.

Many prophets and leaders were refined through failure. Alma the Younger was silenced before becoming a mighty missionary. Moses wandered 40 years before leading Israel. Christ Himself was “despised and rejected of men” (Isaiah 53:3), yet rose triumphant. If they faced setbacks before fulfillment, so will we—but like them, we can rise.

Dreams connect us beyond religion. Whether a Muslim working for peace, a Buddhist pursuing compassion, or a Christian building community—dreams bring people together. When we lift others’ dreams, we strengthen our own. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Dreaming is a deeply human—and deeply divine—act.

Interfaith efforts are themselves sacred dreams. They require courage, forgiveness, and persistence. When we work across faiths to heal division or serve others, setbacks come. But united by a higher vision, we move forward. As the Hebrew Bible says: “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.” — Psalm 37:24

Trust the Process, Trust the Dream

When setbacks arise—and they will—remember: the dream is bigger. God is bigger. You were sent to earth for a purpose that no failure can erase. The Lord promises: “For after much tribulation come the blessings.” — Doctrine and Covenants 58:4

Keep going. Keep dreaming. What you carry inside is greater than what tries to stop you.

Blessings to all!

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