A Different Dream

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11

            I do dearly love me a romantic comedy—I don’t think I have met a women yet who doesn’t enjoy curling up and watching a good chick-flick. But, there is a danger in that as well. As women we have a tendency to lust after what we see in movies, or in other's lives instead of trusting the creator of romance to write a love story better than we could have ever imagined.

            I found myself recently having to come to this realization. As long as I can remember I have always said that I trusted God with who he has for me. That I believed and knew that God was writing a love story better than I could dream up on my best day. But, little did I realize I was waiting on God to make my dream a reality. I had this dream in my head of how my life was suppose to look at a certain age, and the kind of guy I was suppose to be with by that certain age.

            As someone who felt called to ministry, even more specifically to student ministry, I thought for sure I was destined to marry a youth pastor. People told me all the time that I would make a great Pastor’s wife. Even though I would brush it off, if you hear something enough you are bound to begin to believe it over time. I saw so many amazing examples of couples that were in ministry together, and I longed for that. I began to paint a picture in my mind of how I dreamed my life would look. Anytime I met a guy that fit the bill I would immediately begin to think: “Is this the one” because he held the key (I thought) to making my dream a reality.

            As I sat on the phone with my friend the other night unloading on her how overwhelmed I was with just how good God is, but specifically to me during a difficult season, I shared with her the revelation I had in my 20-minute ride home that night. It was basically this: God is writing my love story, and it will probably not look at all how I imagined it would. I have need to stop trying to live someone else dream. I would look at all my friends, and I wanted what they had instead of trusting that the God who made me knows what is best for me, but more importantly what will bring him glory.        

             In Jeremiah we are told that God “knows the plans he has for us.” He knows what he is doing. There have been many times, and also very recently that I didn’t entirely understand the plan, but those are the moments when I have to reach down and stand in faith on what I know to be true of my Savior. Regardless of what is going on around me, how I feel, or whether I understand why…my God is still on His throne in Heaven, and he rules and reigns, and is good and faithful.

            I am learning to dream a new dream—a different dream. I simply want whatever God wants for me. My life is not meant to look like anyone else’s…my life is meant to bring God glory (Isaiah 43:7).  I want to desire and dream what God has for me. Surrender is a scary thing, but it is the only thing that brings true freedom, and maybe you are like me and you are frustrated because life doesn’t look the way you planned, but that doesn’t mean that you are not exactly where you are suppose to be and doing what you are suppose to do. We need to stop chasing everyone else’s lives, and begin living the ones’ God has given us to live for Him.