Expectations and Goals

from the mom

A couple of months ago a friend sent me an email about the process of preparing for an upcoming missions trip. What she shared really struck me as something I needed to hear, as a person and as a mother. I asked if I could share it on my blog. I am not sure she would mind if I used her name, but I'm not going to because I expect (like me), there are many who might use their own name and find what they have needed to hear, again.

One week they talked about writing down all our expectations for the trip and then burning it. They emphasized how we are going to help the long term missionaries there and come along side the local churches and God's timing is different then our own or what we expect. It just hit me and I started crying. That God was telling me for my life, "(Name here), write down all your expectations, all your dreams and goals and then burn it, give it to me." I guess I've always known this before, to give everything to God, but when it was said like that it made sense. And then it stung. I've been so programmed to have dreams, goals and taught to work hard and you can achieve them. This is how I've been living. Mainly I've been living for myself and what I want in life. And God is telling me to lay all that down. I guess I cry because it seems so scary, even though he is the author of my life.