Dreaming at the Feet of Jesus

My Sophomore year of High School I took a photography class after years of messing around on the camera since 8th grade. I wish I hadn't stopped after that class, I could be even better now. This week my best friend from Colorado was in town visiting and she had some homework to do for a similar photography class at school. So I took her some places we could take pictures here in Austin! To say the least, I had a blast! I felt alive and excited in the midst of all the picture taking. Why did I ever stop? It really got my thinking about all of my "lost dreams". When I first committed my life to Christ in 8th grade (before walking away from the Lord my Sophomore year and then re-committing my Senior year) I had certain dreams stir in my heart. I always said I wanted to move to Austin, TX (done!) and I wanted to be a worship leader. I wanted to record songs for an album and also be a worship pastor at a Church! Later in High School I remember wanting to be a photographer and a writer. I also remember saying one day, "If I could do anything with my life I would prevent teen suicide." It's interesting that I am still passionate about every single one of these things. I want to do all of this. I already moved to Austin (YAY!) and I'm definitely a writer--I got two blogs; one of those blogs is about depression, so that's to prevent suicide. I still want to do more photography and more with music! It's so weird to me that there is not one direction I am going in. Some people chase after just photography or just nursing--whatever it is they're passionate about! And that's great, I guess I'm just passionate about too much to decide on one thing. I have decided today to put all my passions in the Lord's hands. Everything I am passionate about, He is also passionate about and He is the one who gave me those passions. So I am going to give them back, I want Him to use these passions in me for His glory, not mine.

People always tell us to chase our dreams. I'm thinking right now that perhaps we shouldn't chase them, but we should let them go. We should let them go at the feet of Jesus. If it is also His dream for us, He will give it back and He will show us the way to succeed in it. If it is a dream not from Him, He will take it and replace it with something that is from Him. Any success in our dreams should be glory to God, not glory to us and the way to do that is to give the dream back to God and let Him lead you to it. I'm doing that today, I am laying down my dreams and passions to make sure they are right with His heart. I am willing to pursue whatever He calls me to, and He will make my success perfect, not me. All we have to do is be willing, and He will finish what He started in us and make it perfect.

Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ."
Psalm 37:4 "Delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Here are some of the pictures I took this week. . .