Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” — Matthew 16:24–25 (NLT)
I’ve always been a dreamer.
As a kid, I was into everything—drawing, working on my novel, cutting out faces from magazines to create families… (I even recorded a “hit song” with a cassette tape and stereo).
Life was fun, and I made sure to experience as much of it as I could.
As an adult, when it was time to focus on earning a living, I developed goals and dreams for my life. Dreams like speaking Spanish fluently and weighing what I did in high school. I had an ideal life mapped out in my mind.
So what was Jesus talking about when He said we must give up our way?
Just before He said this, Peter rebuked Jesus for predicting His suffering, death, and resurrection. Peter, not wanting to see harm come to Him, said, “Never, Lord!” Jesus then turned to Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Peter didn’t want to see Jesus or His ministry come to harm, but he was thinking from a human perspective. God calls us to adopt His perspective.
It’s easy to become short-sighted, focusing only on this fleeting life. Jesus stayed focused on eternity. Even while pleading with the Father to remove His cup of suffering, He understood His purpose. He knew what God wanted Him to do, and why He came.
Where our dreams and desires may come from.
Our big ambitions and dreams often come from what we see on TV or from envying others’ lives. Growing up in the nineties, shows like Friends depicted a life filled with stylish coffee shops, suits, blazers, and the question everyone asked upon meeting, “So, what do you do?”
As a dreamer, it was easy to let my goals and dreams define me. I was a retail manager, a social media manager, an event planner, a web designer, and a blogger. That was what I did, and it became who I was.
That was my human point of view.
So what did Jesus mean when He said that giving up our life for His sake would save it? Did it mean giving up everything I had planned or decided for myself?
The result of surrendering our dreams to Christ.
Jesus promised that our deepest desires are fulfilled when we surrender our lives to Him.
When I make Jesus my priority, everything else falls into place, including the hidden dreams in my heart. If I find myself stuck on a hamster wheel, trying to make my dreams come true on my own, I eventually realize I’ve drifted away from Jesus. I begin to lose heart and question if I’m on the right path or if He even called me to this.
We all wrestle with our faith, but prioritizing Jesus brings confidence and assurance in what we’re working towards. This is the result of a life laid down—a surrendered heart.
It’s not about going through the motions or ticking off time with Jesus from a to-do list. I’ve been there, and it doesn’t work.
There is a place for discipline and reading the Bible out of necessity, and I do that frequently. True nourishment comes from every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. But we can’t forget that the goal of our spiritual disciplines is relationship.
In pursuing Jesus, I picture a bride waking up to her husband standing over her bed in the morning. He’s on her mind first, rather than her thinking, “I know I need to spend time with him, but I have to start my day, I have so many things to do…”
Why surrender to Jesus?
Because if He’s called you to entrepreneurship, ministry, or a certain career, the only way to achieve it is through Him. You can be a rockstar, a powerful girl boss – but with Jesus at the center of your heart.
When my business takes precedence over my pursuit of God, a discomfort arises. Something stirs beneath the surface of my heart, often stemming from a broken heart or abandoned dreams. Even when living my dream feels too good to be true, there’s a sense that I should be struggling.
But Jesus keeps this discomfort at bay. He fills me with hope. Surrendering my heart to Jesus brings clarity and peace. When I seek His will and desires for my life, I find renewed excitement and gratitude. I find new motivation to work on my Spanish, shop for groceries, and I find joy in writing again.
How to surrender your life as a small business owner and entrepreneur.
Jesus tells us to take up our cross daily and follow Him – through valleys, wildernesses, and mountaintops.
Know that wherever the Good Shepherd leads, He is with you.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” — Psalm 23:4 (KJV)
- Worship Him. Draw close to Him. Let your heart say, “Your face, Lord, will I seek.” Enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise. Thank Him for your life, your family, His provision, and the little things that make your heart sing.
- Ask Him to reveal His plans for your life. Journal or pray it out. What do you need to let go of? What is He desiring to bless and grow? Surrender your plans to Him, praying over them and submitting them as an offering.
- Keep your heart near to Him as you make your to-do lists, plan your business, and manage your household. Invite Him into everything you do. Stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. If you lose that sensitivity, prioritize spending time in His Word. Jesus often began with “It is written.” The Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth and provide your daily bread.
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.”
If we don’t surrender our idea of how our lives should be, we risk letting distractions, idols, fear, and doubt creep in. Only Jesus can handle these challenges. You must give Him your life, or what you think it should be, and let Him give you the abundant life He has in store.
Now this abundant life may be on the other side of wildernesses, tests, challenges and trials, and things that need to be laid down, but all with one purpose in mind: to give you the life you could never achieve on your own; the life you were created for.
