Psalm 37:4–5
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.”

The other day I was talking to a friend in the middle of what I’ll call a “pity party.” I don’t know if you ever get there, but I do, especially these days. I was venting about everything I felt I had lost, and in my anger I said, “God keeps taking everything from me. He took my legs. He took my freedom. He took my husband. He took my career.”

My friend gently reminded me of something powerful: God is never the enemy of our heart’s desires. He sees my heart, He knows my longings, and He isn’t out to destroy them. What I saw as loss was really His mercy.

He closed the door on my marriage because I had made my ex-husband an idol, placing him before the Lord and tolerating things that didn’t honor God.

He allowed me to lose the use of my legs because I had built my identity on pride and self-sufficiency, and now I’m walking (in a different way) through a journey of healing and dependence on Him that I never would have chosen, but desperately needed.

He removed my career because I had placed my worth in my paycheck, forgetting that my true value comes from Him alone.

It doesn’t mean the pain isn’t real. It doesn’t mean the humbling isn’t hard. But it does mean the pruning has a purpose. In His time, God will give me the desires of my heart ,not to punish me, but to bless me in a way that is good, healthy, and holy.

Maybe one day I’ll have a husband who loves me the way Christ loves the church. Maybe my career will look different, but I’ll find joy in the work He sets before me. For now, I’m learning to trust that what feels like loss is really grace.

Prayer

Father, thank You that You are never against the desires of our hearts. Thank You for knowing us better than we know ourselves, and for closing doors that are harmful, even when we see them as loss. Teach us to trust You in the pruning seasons and to wait on You with faith. Help us to lay down our pride, our control, and our fear, and to rest in the truth that Your plans are for our good and Your glory. Align our desires with Yours, and give us the courage to receive Your blessings when they come.

In Jesus’ name, amen.