The Writer’s Dream

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Prov. 16:2

I can’t speak for everyone, but sometimes I think we tend to view God like one the gods of Olympus — as a self-important man sitting on his throne watching, waiting for us to slip up so he can laugh at our folly and drive us further into the mud. We question our every action, wrestle with each decision, terrified we’re going to choose poorly.

Shouldn’t it be the opposite? Ours is a God of creation. Not destruction. Though He offers us guidelines in how we should live, when it comes to certain decisions, such as which opportunities we should pursue, he simply leaves it up to us.

I have to be honest. I tend to overly obsess about whether a project I’m about to embark on is God’s will or mine. Will I use the right words? Will my point get across? Will anyone even like it? I get so worried about making a mistake I become too terrified to step out. I use that fear as a crutch, as an excuse to stay in one place. Better to stand still and be miserable than try, fail, and disappoint others or — more specifically — myself. Somehow I doubt that’s what God has in mind for me. In fact, I believe I’ve been looking at things all wrong for far too long now.

If I’m truly passionate about something could it be because it’s already been “approved”? Could it be that I have these dreams because God placed them in my heart the day He spoke me into existence? A friend of mine recently shared that our dreams aren’t just ours — they’re God’s. They aren’t meant solely for our pleasure, but for the blessing of others as well. Taking that to its logical conclusion, if I refuse to pursue a dream because of fear I could very well be depriving someone else of a blessing.

So when Solomon says to commit to the Lord whatever I do, he’s not saying I need to approach God like a broken beggar asking for permission to move forward; he’s saying I need to give back to the Lord what is already his. To take the focus off of me and my expectations. To trust that what God has promised to do through me will be done. And then go to work. The dream won’t be realized overnight. It may take years of hard work, patience, and perseverance, but if there’s one thing that I can be sure of it’s this: God’s plans never fail and I am in good hands.