My Dreams for His

by Jessica Pendleton

Life apart from love is just not working out too well for this planet I call my own.

The painful cries of suffering humanity can be heard from every corner. And when one lets the surrounding needs really sink in, there is no question: A life of even the most faithful service is as a drop in the ocean compared to the great need.

And yet in the midst of it all, I stand with my dreams clutched tight. Some are shattered beyond belief, while others remain pure and strong and beautifully whole. And I wonder: Can I really afford to trade my dreams for the dreams God has for my life?


As I consider whose dreams to choose, tears flow freely as I realize a glorious truth: The happiest and most beautiful people I know are the very ones who have placed their dearest dreams in His hands, and are willing to accept whatever He has for them. Some of these friends have beautiful marriages and families, in storybook fashion. Others are serving single lives in difficult places, all unnoticed—unsung heroes of Almighty God.

Am I willing to exchange my dreams for His, even if His plan looks hard and difficult? That is the question begging my attention. There actually is nothing wrong with dreams; most of them have their foundation in Eden. But there is something wrong when I fail to realize that God is the Author of all things good, and that He truly knows what I need. There is something wrong when I don't believe that He can be trusted with my dreams, all that I am, and all that I hope to become. It sounds so cliché, I know. I hesitate to even type the words. But it’s not cliché to me. Not anymore. It’s a challenge to live a life like few ever experience.

I so often am tempted to wonder about His calling. Where does it lead? Will I be happy? What if I’m forgotten and brushed aside? Recently, though, I realized an important truth: The calling is none of my concern. Neither is where it leads, or what it looks or feels like. That is His job. My job is to simply open my heart and accept His calling, to let Him fill my hands with whatever treasures He has for me.

I want this beautiful life of surrender more than anything else. To give myself to a dying world—a pitiful planet that knows nothing of glorious Calvary. Serving Him here and now is a once-in-eternity opportunity. And should He lead me towards further education, my ideal job, and plenty of godly friends, I will embrace that with all that I have and praise the Giver of all good things. And should He call me to serve in the wild desert, lonely and far removed from the love of friends and family, then I must go, and eagerly take up whatever He gives with open hands, and find in Him a life complete and full, brimming with joy and hope. This is what it means to truly live.

And so, this is my pledge. I will say to my King each morning, “I am thine and all that I have. Use me today wherever and however You would like. No matter the cost. No matter what I may lose. My dreams for Yours.”

And in that process, I gain everything worth having.