When God Gives You the Desires of Your Heart

What happens when God gives you the desires of your heart?

When the desires of your heart are answered, it almost always means sacrificing another part of you so that this desire of your heart can grow, mature and develop.  

There have been many times in my life when I have desired something with the deepest, strongest desire you can imagine. 

I deeply desired to be Erik's wife, even before he was ready to ask me.  God granted me that desire.  Eventually Erik did ask me to marry him, and I became his wife.  But it turns out that being someone's wife requires sacrifice.  I wasn't able to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to do it.  I had someone else I had to make plans with, agree on a budget with and make decisions with.  I didn't always get my way.  My selfish nature had to be sacrificed so the desire of my heart, my new marriage could grow, mature and develop.  

Even more than being Erik's wife I desired to be a mom.  After a couple of miscarriages and LOTS of tears, God granted me that desire (x 3)!  And it turns out being a mom requires even more sacrifice than being a wife!  Some days even more than the 3x's the sacrifice basic math would infer!!!  When God grants you the desires of your heart it almost always leads to sacrifice.  Being a mom, for me, meant not only once more sacrificing my selfish nature, but also my career and some financial resources.  But I had to sacrifice these things so that the desires of my heart, my children, could grow, mature and develop.

I have desired for some time now for God to use me to encourage, inspire and teach others.  And slowly, in his timing, he is answering that desire as well. And guess what, it turns out that is too has taken more sacrifice than I anticipated.

I have had the opportunity recently to write for another blog (more details to come at a later date), I have been invited to start teaching at a house church connected to the church I attend, as well as increase my teaching to the middle school kids I have worked with in the past.  I am LOVING every single one of these opportunities and I am SO excited about what God is doing and so thankful to be used by him.  But it comes with sacrifice.  My free time isn't mine anymore.  Truth be told I no longer have much "free time".  But I have to sacrifice my time if I want this tiny little ministry of me to grow and mature and develop.

What happens when God gives you the desires of your heart.  Sacrifice.

What is it today that God is asking you to sacrifice?  What are the desires of your heart?  And what would need to be sacrificed in order for those desires to grow, mature, and develop?