living “the dream” has always been a goal of mine. no, my dream is not to be a billionaire, although it would be nice. i don’t want to be the most powerful person in the world or even a famous celebrity. my goal is this: happiness. what i have to keep reminding myself of lately is to not measure myself by worldly standards, but by God. i keep thinking i have to have EVERYTHING figured out with my life RIGHT NOW. but guess what i’ve realized? i don’t. God has a plan for me with my life and everything will turn out just the way it’s meant to. i keep thinking i need to get married and have a family RIGHT NOW because so many of my friends are already on that path already. i keep thinking i need to have the perfect 9-5 job with benefits and the works, because that’s what society expects of me. what i NEED to do is TRUST GOD. i need to stop comparing myself to everyone else. i need to stop measuring my life goals to what society says is success. God is in control. He has an amazing plan better than i can fathom. as long as i follow God, i will be happy. everything will fall into place just the way it’s supposed to. i just need to keep my eyes on Him.

one story from the Bible that i look to a lot is when Jesus walked on water (matthew 14:22-33). the disciples were out on the water. their boat was rocking and the wind was roaring. through the storm they saw someone in the distance. as the figure appeared closer, they realized it was Jesus. there He was, walking on top of the water like it was no big deal. one of the disciples, peter, got out of the boat and starting walking towards Jesus (ya know, on top of the water). as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was fine. but, when he started freaking out and looking down,  he began to sink. this is such a great example of faith. as long as we keep our eyes on God, we’ll be okay. when we start to doubt and look away, we sink. i’m sure i didn’t paint the best picture, but i hope you get the idea. i need to keep my eyes on God. i need to stop letting the wind and waves knock my faith. i need to stop comparing my life and achievements to those around me. i need stop letting others affect me. not everyone is going to have a 9-5 job. just because you don’t, doesn’t mean you’re not successful. you could be a stay at home mom and that doesn’t make your job any less important. we were all made to do something special and unique to bring glory to God. status doesn’t define who you are. God does. my life is going just the way He wants. i am right where i need to be. He is preparing me for that next step, but until then, i will wait. that’s a part of faith too. so for now, i will do my best at serving Him right where He has me. He will take care of me. i just need to keep my eyes on Him.

i hope this helps at least one person out there. that’s what God’s love is all about.

♥

and here’s a peek from the beautiful wedding this weekend. congrats to the newlyweds, emily and dylan! 🙂