I don’t know about you, but I sometimes tend find myself in the uncomfortable position of realizing that my desires and God’s desires are conflicting. My plans and ideas are at the polar opposite end of His plans and ideas.
This shouldn’t come as a shock to me because He told us in Isaiah 55, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Even though I’ve read these verses many, many times and even wrote a song years ago including them, I still catch myself feeling surprised when I realize God’s plans and my plans don’t line up.

“Now God, I have put a lot of thought into this. I know that Your ways are perfect and You want what’s best for me…and this is it!! Surely there’s nothing any better than {insert your plan here} or I would want that instead!”

Obviously, we may not come right out and pray these words, but do we not *think* them? Maybe I’m the only one…but I seriously doubt it.
What do we do when faced with this dilemma?

Here’s the spiritual answer:
We know that God will do right.
We know that whatever He chooses to do will work out better than any of our plans could ever be.
We know that no matter what happens, God is good and kind and loving and will get glory through our circumstances.

Yes! Great! True! Amen!
We know all these things to be true.
….Yet, how do we let go of our desires and embrace His?
Is that not the real question we struggle with?

I’m often reminded of a quote from C.S. Lewis I read a few years ago that describes my feelings perfectly.
“It’s not so much that we wonder if God will do what’s best. We just wonder how painful that ‘best’ will turn out to be.”

We’ve already established that God’s ways are not our ways. We know the story of Job and how God used pain and suffering to get glory to Himself through Job’s life.
Sure, we imagine God has His “Job”s out there today…..but what if He wants that for your life?
What if He wants that for my life?
What if He has chosen to get glory through us by our walking through suffering and enduring heart-break?
Is He less good?
Less kind?
No.
Oh, friends, that’s impossible.

We may not understand or initially agree, but He is still good and kind and faithful.
None of His children will ever suffer needlessly.
He is not a cruel taskmaster, but He is a kind, loving, compassionate Father.
He does nothing and allows nothing without a purpose.

Still, the initial question remains.
How do we let go of our desires and embrace His?
Here is the answer I’ve found:
One day at a time.

It’s no secret what my major struggle is. I have agonized in prayer and God has brought me to the place where I am truly okay if He chooses to never give me children….but how do I stop wanting them?
If He desires bigger and better things for my life, how do I let go of my dreams?

I have wrestled with this a good bit lately because I want to be in sync with God’s will for my life and I’m having a hard time releasing my grip on certain things. I’ve gone to Him in prayer and told Him all my struggles.
I truly want to want what He wants…I’m just having a hard time getting there.

Friends, when I was talking to God and said that sentence, it was as though I felt God smile and say, “One day at a time.”
See, He knows my heart so much better than I know it myself. He knows my struggles and He knows that I truly want to let go of my dreams and embrace His…and He also knows my frame and remembers that I am just dust and some things will take some time.
Each day I walk with Him, my grip on my dreams becomes a little more relaxed. One day, I’ll get to the place where I want what He wants…but today, it’s enough to want to want that.

I know your situation may be completely different than mine, but the principle is the same.
No matter what you’re facing or how afraid you may be of the pain God’s best may bring with it, just go to Him. Confess what’s going on in your heart.
He knows it anyway. Just tell Him and ask Him to help you want what He wants.
It may not happen overnight, but it will more than likely happen just one day at a time.

Don’t give up.
One day, we’ll look back and realize the pain was so worth it.
His best is truly better than anything we could ever imagine.