The gift of letting go of expectations
I have several amazing women God has placed in my life, and for that I am blessed.
These are women who are like family, and are more than ready to tell me just what I need to hear, so that I can grow and change and fully live up to the potential God has for me.
If you haven’t noticed, I’ll be honest, again.
I’ve been struggling.
And when I sat down with one of my mentors a couple weeks ago, I didn’t even need to say a word.
She had been praying, and God decided to speak to me through her.
And it all pointed back to His word.
I won’t get into all the details of my issues….
(we’d be here for hours…just read past posts and you’ll start to figure all that good stuff out),
but there were a few key things that just stuck.
And the first was this,
“Summer. Listen to me. YOU cannot be displaced. God created you, He has His own plan for you and even if someone else reaches your “dream” first, it doesn’t mean there isn’t room for you. God uses ‘infinite’ imagery, from the heavens to the earth, and your ship in this giant ocean? It CANNOT be displaced.”
She went on to say, “You feel resentful because God has not delivered to you YOUR DREAMS. But what you need to do is take down every picture of what you’ve dreamt you deserve, and just open up your hands. Let go of what you’re grasping so tightly to, because what God has for you???? Summer, it’s so much better! Just let them all go.”
It was these two phrases.
“You CANNOT be displaced.”
And….
“Take down the images of what you dream you deserve, and be open and willing to accept what GOD dreams for you instead.”
Those two hours we spent together, I’m telling you, soothed my soul.
I began to see things so clearly on why I operate the way I do.
I finally had words to my swirling ball of feelings I didn’t understand.
But, now I see it SO clearly.
And having words to the hurricane of emotions inside, takes me one step closer to healing.
I’m on my way.
I’m studying Love.
I’m studying Jesus.
I’m studying God, and all that He truly is.
Let me be clear.
I am SO not there yet.
I open my bible and I feel empty and blank, and wonder if it will ever speak to me again.
I KNOW that it will…I FEEL that it won’t.
But, I’ve never been a quitter.
I’m an angsty overthinker middle child, yes, but most definitely not a quitter.
So, I’m writing and pondering and laying it all out (again) so we can together figure this out.
Do you sometimes feel like you just don’t belong?
Do you at times feel envious when someone else is living the life you dreamed for yourself?
Do you even find yourself getting irrational in your thoughts and sometimes your behavior because of the lies you find yourself believing?
And do you then fall into a pit of resentment that is something like, “Why not me?” Or “Why have you not allowed me what I have dreamt of or feel I deserve?”
Then, let me challenge you as well.
Try taking down your OWN dreams and humbly make room for Gods.
And NEVER forget…
You CANNOT be displaced.
Summer, have you read the book, A Confident Heart? Your post reminds me so much of what this book talks about.
I love your posts and how I, as a woman of God, can relate to what you say. Thank you!
I love this… I do get jealous at other’s lives… I do get sad at the ‘missed’ things in my own… I am going to pray about this mindset & start holding it near. What GOD has in store.. .love that.
“Take down the images of what you dream you deserve, and be open and willing to accept what GOD dreams for you instead.” I was crying the other day in gratitude for what the Lord has given me that I don’t feel I deserve. But then there are ‘those other times’ my entitlement outweighs my gratitude and I fret these feelings come more often.
So inspiring, thank you.