What Does it Mean to Surrender Your Dreams to God?

Several weeks ago, one of my blog readers posed this question through a personal message:

I have some dream vocations that I would like to pursue but I feel like, as a Christian, you are also called to surrender your personal desires and dreams to God’s will. How do I know whether it is God’s will for me to follow a certain career path? 

I love questions like these because they show a heart that desires to please God despite a world that encourages self-gratification. What does it mean to surrender your dreams to God? How does a person do that? If you’re wondering this yourself, you’re on the verge of discovering something bigger than life.

Something that will change your life.

Is it okay to follow your dreams, or are you supposed to give them up to serve God? The answer is yes … and yes. 

Myth #1: There is Only One Right Path

In a related post—Life After High School: Just Pick Something And Do It!—I break down the myth that God has a single path picked out for you and that making the wrong move will put you out of line with his will. This sort of thinking paralyzes many Christians. We pray, we worry, we wonder why God isn’t giving us a strong nudge one way or the other. 

What if I choose wrong? Will God not bless me?

You can serve God through any one of thousands of vocational pathways.

In the case of choosing a career, there is no single right way. Becoming a nurse in a third-world country doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be more blessed than if you pursue a career in plastic surgery. In truth, you can serve God through any one of thousands of vocational pathways.

What matters more is choosing a life of holiness, no matter your career. 

Myth #2: Surrender Means Giving Up Your Dreams

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus urges us to deny ourselves and take up our cross. What he doesn’t say—and what many Christians mistakenly believe—is that surrendering to God’s will means giving up your personal desires and dreams entirely. The Bible never says it’s automatically wrong to do the things you want to do, and the things you don’t want to do are the way to follow God.

The Bible does, however, teach that it is right and good to delight in doing what is right and good.

Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart—they do no wrong but follow his ways.

Psalm 119:2-3

Myth #3: You Should Follow Your Heart

On the flip side, your delight in doing something is not the deciding factor in whether you should do it. “Follow your heart” is #2 on my list of 10 Things Jesus Never Said in the Bible (right after “be true to yourself”)—and it’s terrible advice, because “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” (Jeremiah 17:9). 

There will always be aspects of your desires that you must deny in order to follow Jesus. Don’t follow your heart without first making sure it is aligned with his will.

Myth #4: God Gave Me Passion and Ability, Therefore I Should Follow Them 

You are probably really good at some things—things you likely enjoy doing. Likewise, there are probably things you hate doing, either because they lack thrill or you’re just not great at them. Maybe you love animals, but children terrify you. Don’t think teaching is a more God-pleasing profession than being a veterinarian, or even a zookeeper.

It is right and good to delight in doing what is right and good.

God equips each of us with specific passions and abilities so we can carry out his work in ALL professional fields. Pay attention to those traits he has given you, but don’t let them be the only criteria you consider in determining God’s will for your life. There may be passions you need to squelch—and fears you need to overcome.

Lay your passions before God’s feet and ask him to show you how you might use them to glorify him. That’s what it means to surrender your dreams to God.

The Truth: Every Christian’s Calling = Holiness

Above all, you were made to glorify God with your dreams and gifts. All other methods of calculating the “best” career path—How much money will I earn? Will this career suit my desired lifestyle? Is there a need for this vocation? How will I benefit others? Is this the best way to serve God?—misses the point that the best path is the one embarked on with holiness, regardless of the vocation.

Instead of focusing on what you should become, focus on who God wants you to be.

Instead of focusing on what you should become, focus on who God wants you to be. Pour your energy into becoming what John Piper calls a “radically Christ-centered” person—someone who’s deeply Bible-saturated with a zeal for servanthood and a compassion for others. A radically Christ-centered person is willing to use her gifts to serve God while also considering paths that might initially scare her.

When you become who God wants you to be, he’ll guide your steps in ways you could never imagine.

Surrender Your Dreams to God With Radical Holiness

Thanks be to God, he makes it clear in the Bible exactly the kind of person he wants you to be. A good starting point for teens and young adults is Psalm 119:9-16.

In this passage, we’re told a young person can stay on the path of purity and holiness by…

• Living according to God’s word
• Seeking him with all your heart
• Not straying from his commands
• Holding his word in your heart
• Learning his decrees
• Giving him praise
• Taking delight in following his statutes
• Meditating on his precepts
• Considering his ways
• Not neglecting his word

“Be holy, because I am holy.”

Leviticus 11:45

Drench your goals in your love for Christ, eagerly magnify God with your gifts, and desire him as the ultimate source of pleasure. When you do that, you can follow your dreams!

Related: Feed Your Faith With Psalm 119: Spiritual Encouragement For Teens

Further Resources For Teens & Young Adults

• Want practical steps for determining the best way to serve God? Check out Life After High School.
• Worried about choosing between happiness and holiness? Maybe you don’t have to. The Holy Teenage Life: Real Faith, Real Happiness
• Wondering if it’s okay to dream big? Find out in Does God Want You to Dream Big?