I sometimes struggle with feeling like I am behind on accomplishing my dreams because there are people younger than me who are already published authors. I love the reminder that God’s timing is perfect and if my desire/dream is his will, is something he planted in my heart, then it will happen when it’s supposed to and how it’s supposed to. I can’t thwart God’s plan.
This is exactly the lie that Satan wants to feed us and that we…are so eager to swallow – believing that we need what she has to ensure we matter. That the lives we’ve been gifted are somehow diminished by the successes, joys, opportunities, or accomplishments of others.
~Lisa-Jo Baker, Never Unfriended
There’s so much advice on how to achieve goals. I feel external pressure to follow a specific formula in order to become a published author. There’s a plethora of sources willing to be the measuring stick I am not meeting. Satan often tries to get me to focus on specific journeys by others to get me to believe that there is only one way to becoming published.
The truth is that there are many different stories of how people found themselves with books on shelves in others’ houses. I should be wise in seeking help for whatever step I’m on, but I should not fall into the trap that because my path isn’t looking just like so-and-so’s that it means I’ll never reach my destination. Very few writers have their first book sell millions and reach a world-wide audience. Often an author has written several little-known books or received a number of rejections from publishers before being approved.
I don’t know how my story will end up, but I can trust that God knows and will guide me each step if I remain dependent on and obedient to him. Yes, I have to be faithful in working on my dream with the current time and resources I have. It’s an active participation with God.
Satan also tries to make me believe that I have nothing valuable to contribute and no qualifications or authority that makes my contribution desirable or useful to others. He is trying to get me to give up before I really even get started.
Before you were born, you were already known and seen and set apart for specific, profound purposes. So there is no way that your girlfriend or favorite pastor’s wife or neighbor or office mate could possibly steal that thing you were built to do. You don’t need to panic or hard or hide. You only need to answer. Just say, yes.
~Lisa-Jo Baker, Never Unfriended
I have to continuously remind myself that God is faithful, that his plans will come to fruition, that his purposes for me will be fulfilled whatever they may be and however they may look. He has purposed me, he has planted me where I am and is working even in seemingly unproductive seasons where no progress appears to exist toward my goals.
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This is the fifth post of a series exploring some of the ideas in Never Unfriended: The Secret to Finding and Keeping Lasting Friendships by Lisa-Jo Baker. If you’re interested in reading the other posts, please click on a title: The Fear of Missing Out, Finding Our Approval, Guilt-Free Friendship, Celebrating, Mourning and Other Aspects of Friendship and Working Through Negative Feelings.
Oh, man the timing and plans really hit me hard. There are so many around me achieving what I wish I could, but I know God’s plans for me are greater than my own!
It seems like we are conditioned to compare ourselves to those around us even though our histories, experiences and current circumstances are unique. If we have confidence in God and that his plans will prevail, then we can focus on where he is calling us (and who knows, maybe that will even mean accomplishing our dreams along the way).
I needed this article. There are several people in my life that I constantly find myself comparing myself to and I know in my heart that God has his own timing… even for me. It’s something so easy to forget.
It’s so easy to fall into thinking we are competing with those in similar life stages or with similar goals. But we are not. We were created uniquely with a purpose and God is faithful. Thanks for reading!
So true of each of us! We never know how the story will end but we trust God, His plan, & His timing. I love that quote from Corrie Ten Boom – “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God!”
Choosing to trust God and believe that he is working on our behalf for our good can save us a lot of anxiety. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I really need to read Lisa-Jo’s book! Everything you have shared makes it sound so amazing.
Her book is sooo good! It hit me right in my current season, obviously. I highly recommend it!
Comparison is such a liar. And the world’s ideas of success aren’t God’s. We are so quick to worry about reaching some goal when tiny obedient steps in the Bible were the ones most often used to change the world.
“And the world’s ideas of success aren’t God’s.” It’s so hard to remember this and choose God’s plans and timing sometimes. I pray that our hearts would continuously bend toward God and we would be quick to obey his leading.
I am right there with you, trying to reason that it is okay to still be pursuing a dream when the number of candles on the cake is larger than you want it to be. As long as we are alive, we can still be pursuing our dreams and making a difference!