Everything I once held dear, I count it all as lost.

Last night, I dreamt I became friends with a snooty celebrity who only thought about herself and how desperately she wanted to be famous.

When I woke up, I realized how empty the dream girl’s life was. She put all her worth into what people thought of her, in how beautiful they believed her to be. But what happens when the girl is no longer on top? What happens when she’s no longer famous and when she gets her first wrinkle?

Suddenly, I realized something: The girl in the dream was me.

I was the one who only thought about herself. I was the one who lived to become successful in the world’s eyes. I was the girl.

Who am I now? A child of God (I’m bringing in the cheese today). But seriously. For the first time in my life, I don’t feel as though I’m living for myself, for my own dreams. Sometimes, I am tempted to believe my worth is valued on what I do. But now I know the truth — life is not about me or my value at all. It’s about Jesus and He sees us as valuable enough to die for. How crazy is that?

I used think giving God our dreams was a lot like throwing them into a trash can. We’d never see them again. But now I think it’s more like putting them into a recycling bin. They will be refined and made into something new. Just like recycling, giving God our dreams prevents them going to waste. He takes the useful part of them and does what He wants; His plans are always better than ours. We don’t just need our exteriors to be refined though, but our hearts. And God is a great surgeon. He changes them. He redeems them.

I never thought I’d be okay with not moving to LA after graduation, chasing a dream to be a big time filmmaker. Instead, I’m going to be working for eternal things. And I hope I do so my entire life. God has done a great work in me and I cannot wait to see what other parts of my heart He is going to change in the future.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

Faith