Growing up, I had one dream: to find a godly man, fall desperately in love with him, have a fairy tale wedding, and spend the rest of my life helping him take ground for the kingdom.
And the thought of giving it up, was terrifying.
But as I got to know the heart and character of my God better, and His unfathomable love for me, I began to trust Him more. "...under whose wings thou art come to trust." Ruth 2:12
I realized that my dreams were actually safer in His hands than in mine, that my heart and life were cherished and protected under His control. And I realized that if He loves me enough to die for me, then He loves me enough to give me joy and fulfillment all the days of my life, even if I'm single for life.
My dear friend, if you are afraid to surrender your dreams to God, you need to get to know Him better. If you don't trust the One you're surrendering to, you'll never be able to fully surrender.
Remember that God loves you with a perfect love, and perfect love casts out fear. Perfect love has no room for ill-will in it. It cannot be malicious or unkind. It cannot do you wrong. Perfect love is the purest intent to bring you all that is good. It's the only love that has your best interest at heart with no strings attached. And the best part? God's love doesn't wax and wane; it is constant. Even when you don't love back, there He is, loving you with all the force He ever has.
God never designed or desired for you to suffer pain. He hurts when you hurt. He is a shelter for you to run into when storms arise, and His Everlasting Arms are there to hold you up when you are weary. He knows what will bring you the most joy and fulfillment in life, for He knows you even better than you know yourself.
God's perfect love can be trusted with your deepest longings and your most precious dreams. They are safer in His hands than in yours. When you put your trust in the perfect love of God, your fear about surrendering to Him will flee.
Sister, if you're afraid to surrender your dreams to God, I challenge you to pick an attribute of His to meditate on daily. It will build your faith in Him as you think on who He is. We should know our Lord so well and be so confident in His character, that instead of being fearful to trust Him with our lives and dreams, we can say "why on earth would I not give Him all of me?! He loves me more than I can fathom! Of course I want Him to be in control!"
(written when I had the gift of singleness.)
Thank you so much for sharing this. This is such a timely reminder from the Lord. I've been struggling with it so much lately. (literally just yesterday, even!) and you're right--its a matter of trust and knowing God's character.
Hi Madison. Is this devotional thought in your new book?
Thank you for sharing Madison! I’m very encouraged by this. Just a quick question, what is the one attribute of God that you think would be best to focus on at this point in time? I feel a bit lost and overwhelmed, but I want to turn my attention to God and remember His love for me.