In her book, “Passport through Darkness”, Kimberly L. Smith writes, “who of us wants to give up our notion of what we think our lives should look like so that we are available for Him to use?” Read that again and let it sink in. I think it hits at what lies at the root of our reluctance to fully surrender our lives to Jesus. We all have dreams and ambitions, a vision for what we want our lives to look like. Quite honestly, serving Jesus tends to get in the way of the pursuit of those dreams. Following Christ necessitates that we let go of all of our ambitions and plans; all of them, no exceptions. That’s a heavy cost that most are not willing to pay.
We ask God to use us but then find excuses not to comply. That’s a crazy dichotomy that unfortunately leads to the uncomfortable question of, “Did you really mean what you said to God?” Throughout history, if you pledged allegiance to one king but then fought for another, we’ve called it treason. Treason is a serious crime that few think we’d ever have the opportunity to commit, much less actually go through with it. The sad reality is so-called Christ followers are committing treason at an alarming rate. We have pledged our allegiance, our very lives, to the King of all kings; yet we live and work for His adversary.
Consumed by our lust for life, we spend our days pursuing that which we think will fulfill our lives. Unfortunately we forget that Jesus is all we will ever need. Instead, we seek fame, fortune, or simply pleasure and security in the things of this world. Culture dictates our lives should look a certain way and we have bought in with everything we are. No longer is Jesus the Lord of our life. We cannot serve Jesus and our own ambitions. One will always win the day, and too often we opt for our own desires rather than those of our Creator.
The crazy thing is that the reasons you have your deepest dreams and desires is because of what Jesus has put inside you. He has given you a unique combination of gifts, skills, and passions. It’s this combination that makes you who you are. If we would surrender our lives to Jesus, He would use the same talents we are seeking to exploit, but in ways that will further His Kingdom and in the end will bring us far greater satisfaction than anything we might otherwise achieve in this world.
Ultimately you have to decide if you will follow your dreams or forget your plans. The choice has eternal consequences. God is mercifully patient beyond all expectancy and rationality. He will wait for you, but how much time will you waste pretending He is the Lord of your life before actually meaning it? Life is so very short and fleeting. Why not spend the rest of your days fully surrendered to the One who created you and knows how best to utilize the gifts He has entrusted to you? Forget your plans and surrender to the will of Him who loves you more than the life of His only Son.