Learning to Persevere Prøve

PERSEVERANCE HAPPENS WHEN WE PUT GOD'S DESIRES ABOVE OUR OWN God’s plans for my life have rarely been my plans for my life. Regardless of that knowledge, I have tried to control where I wanted to be at every stage of life. At age 20, I wanted to be married and start a family where we could have six kids. My husband was going to work in a trade, so he could be home on the weekends. I was going to be a stay-at-home mom until my kids left the house. I held onto these plans for a long time, until real life happened and, no joke, none of these things have happened. As God redirected my life (often against my will), He also changed my heart. With each delayed or unfulfilled plan, I began to learn what it meant to willingly, even joyfully, exchange my dreams for God’s plans for me. This is where perseverance happens. While surrendering our plans to God, the exchange creates in us a spirit that is ready, willing, and available to do or go wherever God leads regardless of whether it’s what we pictured or planned for ourselves. The Bible passage you are going to read is the story of Leah. I have to imagine her dream was not to be married to a man that didn’t love her or want her. But she surrendered her pain and plans for God’s will which were so much greater than she could have ever imagined. You see, God blessed her with children and one of Leah’s children’s children’s children would end up being God's only son, Jesus. Challenge:: Are there dreams in your life that you know God is trying to redirect? In your private prayer time, choose to exchange your dreams for His. We hope this plan encourages you. For more resources to grow in your faith, [ check out the Strong Roots Podcast. ](https://first.church/strong-roots-podcast/ "check out the Strong Roots Podcast." )