Let God be God – the path to peace is my story of finding freedom and peace when our desires aren’t met.
Here is a sneak peek of my guest post the Releasing to God Series by Brianna Barrett where I share a glimpse of my story of struggling with infertility and how this taught me to release my desires and rights to God.
Remember to pin me for later!
Let God be God or My Genie in the Bottle?
Have you had such a strong, burning desire in your heart that had nearly consumed you? I had such a desire in my 30ties.
Pleading, demanding, crying, praying for guidance, fasting, and declaring Bible verses. Nothing helped. God denied the granting of my desire to become a mother.
I was wrestling with Him year after year, and I didn’t realize that my insistence to have it my way poisoned my relationship with God with suppressed anger and disappointment.
Why was God giving freely to other people the very thing I was asking Him to do for me and my husband day after day?
Why didn’t He reward my obedience, my desire to walk in His ways, and do the right things in His eyes?
Somehow, my unfulfilled desire which I held frantically had perverted my thinking into an entitlement mindset.
I thought that if I did the right things, pleasing God and following a set of rules, He would always give me what I wanted; it was a kind of unspoken deal.
“Lord, I am doing everything You want and expect for me, and in return, I expect You to do everything I want.”
Ouch!
The Bitter Fruits of Entitlement
God was not my genie in a bottle and I was not to obey Him as a means of manipulating Him. I proudly believe it is up to me and I needed to do everything possible to make God grant my wish and answer my prayer as I wanted.
No wonder this struggle between me and God was slowly killing me. Here is what I reaped as a result:
- Losing my peace and joy
- Anxiety disorder
- Panic attacks
- Autoimmune disorder
Sounds awful, doesn’t it? And it was awful.
Read the rest of the post at briannagrams.com to learn how I learned to let God be God by releasing my controlling desires and rights to Him.
How Our Surrender Can Become the Birthplace of Blessing
If you want to learn more about how God used my struggle with infertility and other painful experiences to transform and bless me, my book, “Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings,” is for you.
Let me take you on a journey through 13 painful experiences, showing losses and the precious blessings in each of them.
When we surrender to God in our struggles and pain, they can become the birthplace of blessings, purpose, new growth, and transformation. #drawnearbook #losses #blessings Share on XMore Encouragement for You
If you need more resources, encouragement, and comfort when you go through pain, grief, and despair, I can highly recommend these books. Check them out.
Trusting God in All the Things: 90 Devotions for Finding Peace in Your Every Day by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk
Make Up Your Mind: Unlock Your Thoughts, Transform Your Life by Denise Dubois Pass and Michelle Nietert
Life Can Be Good Again by Lisa Appelo
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lisa Terkeurst
Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts by Adam Dooley
Restoration Year – a 365 Days Devotional by John Eldredge
All Things New by John Eldredge
Hope for the Hard Days by Sarah Geringer
Lean into Grace by Stacey Pardoe
This page contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. The commission I make from these items will help keep this blog going. Thank you!
Your Turn
Do you struggle with entitlement? What desires and rights can you surrender to God? Share in the comments and on social media if you found this article helpful. Thank you!
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Let God be God – the Path to Peace is my story of finding freedom and peace when our desires aren't met. #peace #freedom #desires #encouragement Share on XI send my newsletter “Keep the Faith” every two weeks. I share with you first the newest blog post, recommended books and articles, and the newest freebies and resources to keep the faith.
When we have a desire that is very strong and want it from someone, it is natural to do whatever we could to please them in order to get it. God knows your thoughts and I am glad that things have worked out well in the end.
Thanks, Hari! Yes, I guess we all go through this phase that you describe. I am glad the post resonated with you.
Thank you for this post about letting God be God and sharing about finding peace. All too often I take things into my own hands and end up with a mess. I appreciate your honesty. I’m grateful God is in control!
Thanks, Lisa! Yes, God is always in control and sovereign over our lives but sometimes it is easy to forget this when we struggle with unmet longings and desires. Blessings!
Thank you for sharing your very personal experience with infertility. Your reflection on the ways to let God be God and your path to peace is inspiring.
Thanks, Debbie! I am glad my story inspired and encouraged you!
Thanks for sharing about your path to peace. I appreciate your insight and encouragement.
Thanks, Crysti! I am glad you found the post encouraging.
I am so grateful for your authenticity on this tough topic, Hadassah. We all have those unfulfilled dreams and longings, and it’s not easy to come to peace with them when God’s plans are different than ours. You touched my heart with this one.
Thanks, my friend! I am so glad the post spoke to you! Yes, the topic is tough but it is good to bring it into the light.