What happens when you delete "com" from the word compromise? You're left with a "promise." We were made for more than compromise. We were made for God's promises in every area of our lives.

I admit that so often I have held tightly to my own plans and to the outcomes that I think should come to pass. But I know the story You're writing for me is so much better than any story I could ever write for myself. Help me to cling to this truth when my circumstances are uncertain and unpredictable. I declare my trust in You above it all. In Jesus' name, amen.

Every time I took a step outside my comfort zone, I grew spiritually. I discovered God's plan and stopped operating within the limitations of my own experiences. And I discovered a powerful truth along the way: When we take calculated risks, we discover God-given talents and facets of our personality waiting to be developed.

If I'm trusting God, I will stare at all the possible ways He'll use this whether I fail or succeed.

With the full assurance God is okay with me even when I'm not okay with me. And I realize, I can't hold on to the desire to run and at the same time go where God wants to lead me.

If we place our hope and future in the hands of our unchanging, unflinching God who never leaves us or forsakes us, we'll find healing and freedom. We'll be able to see something on the other side of all the pain. Something good. Something we know will be so worth whatever it takes to get well.

Fill in the blank: This rejection doesn't mean I'm [whatever negative label or shame-filled feeling you are having]. It makes this [opportunity] [person] [desire] a wrong fit for me right now. Instead of letting the feelings from this situation label me, I'm going to focus on God and His promises for good things.

The promise is a glorious hope to hang on to for the future. But it's His presence in the process that will steady our hope for today.

I can rest in the fact that God is in control.

Have you ever dared to ask this? Have you ever dared to say to God, Lord, whatever Your will for my life is, that is what I want? Believing God is not for the weak at heart. It's only for those who want to discover the rich blessings of walking close enough to God to hear the constant drumming of His heartbeat.

Lord, what will fix this? What will take away this feeling that I'm going to be stuck in seasons of darkness the rest of my life?" Three words popped into my mind: Turn to Me.

God will lead us, comfort us, guide us, walk with us, prepare the best for us, and continue filling us with such lavishness that we're not just full but overflowing.