Part of Your World, Part of My Story: When You Long for a Different Life

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Have you ever watched The Little Mermaid and felt something stir deep in your chest; not just because of the music, but because of the ache behind it?

Ariel isn’t just singing about seashells or shiny forks. She’s singing about freedom.

“I wanna be where the people are…”

She wants more than the comfort of her underwater palace. She wants a life where she can walk, dance, explore, and belong. A life beyond the one she was born into.

And maybe you’ve felt that too.

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The Ache for Another Life (That You Can’t Quite Explain)

There’s a strange tension in the Christian life: you know you’re called to contentment, and yet your soul aches for something more.

Not more hustle.
Not more success.
Not even more money.

But more life.
More light.
More room to breathe.
More space to live as who God created you to be.

I know this ache well.

Some days I look at my life and think, “I should be grateful.” I have what I need. A roof, a job, a routine. And yet... my spirit feels caged. Like I’m peering through glass into a world I could be a part of, but don’t know how to enter.

Ariel wanted to be part of a world where she didn’t have to hide or explain or shrink. And so do I. I want to walk into a life that feels true. Led by peace, anchored in Christ, marked by creativity and quiet joy.


What If the Life You Long For Isn’t a Fantasy, But a Calling?

The world tells us that longing for “more” means we’re ungrateful or discontent. We hear it in quiet whispers: “You should just be thankful.”
But what if that ache in your chest isn’t rebellion - what if it’s revelation?

There’s a kind of holy restlessness that doesn’t come from pride or ambition, but from the Spirit of God nudging us gently forward. It’s not about craving a shiny Instagram life. It’s about waking up one day and realizing: this life I’m living isn’t the fullness of what God has for me.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
2 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV)

When the Spirit is present, so is freedom. Not just freedom from sin, but freedom from fear, people-pleasing, overcommitment, and self-imposed limits.
Freedom to walk slowly. To create again. To rest. To go. To dream.

The life I long for isn’t a fantasy I’ve made up, it’s a glimpse of what could be possible with God. A life where peace is the guide, not pressure. Where I follow His voice instead of the expectations around me. Where I stop surviving and start living.



Sometimes, the longings we carry are actually invitations from Heaven.

They don’t mean something’s wrong with you, they might mean something new is starting in you.

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How to Begin Stepping into That World

✧ 1. Name the Longing Without Shame

The first step is simple but radical: admit what you truly desire.
Not what sounds holy. Not what looks safe. What you actually long for.

More peace?
More creativity?
A slower pace?
A different rhythm of work and rest?

Bring it before God without apologizing. He already knows. He planted eternity in your heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11), and He isn’t surprised by your holy discontent. He welcomes it.

Journal Prompt: If nothing was off-limits, what kind of life would I actually want to live?

 

✧ 2. Ask God: What Does Freedom Look Like for Me?

Freedom won’t look the same for everyone.

For one person, it might mean quitting a job.
For another, it’s simply reclaiming two hours on a Sunday to rest.
For someone else, it’s starting that blog, launching the shop, or finally saying no without guilt.

Ask the Holy Spirit:
“What does freedom look like for me in this season?”

He may not give you the full map, but He’ll show you the next step. And that step will lead to the next.



✧ 3. Start Small, but Start Bold

You don’t need to move across the world to begin stepping into a new life.

You could start by:

  • Deleting one app that drains your time.
  • Blocking out an hour to create again - write, paint, dream.
  • Saying “no” to one thing so you can say “yes” to peace.
  • Spending a weekend offline to reconnect with God and yourself.

These may seem like tiny steps. But they count.
You’re telling your soul: We’re not stuck forever. God is doing something new.


✧ 4. Don’t Wait for a Perfect Moment

There’s never going to be the “right time” to chase freedom. You’ll always be a little unsure, a little underprepared, a little nervous.

But God honors movement. Even wobbly steps. Especially wobbly steps.



If you wait until you feel 100% ready, you’ll wait forever.
The truth is: readiness is a myth. Obedience is better.

Take the step.

Even if you’re scared.
Even if you cry.
Even if you can’t see where it leads.

Because you were never meant to stay underwater forever. The surface is calling. And your Father is already waiting there, with open arms.

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FAQ: When Your Heart Longs for a Different Life

Q: Is it wrong to have ambition as a Christian?

A: Ambition, on its own, isn’t sinful, it’s direction that makes all the difference. The Bible is full of people who were ambitious for the things of God: Paul, David, Nehemiah. The key is whether your ambition flows from striving for significance or surrender to God’s calling.

Christian ambition doesn’t shout “look at me!”
It whispers, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming of more - whether it’s creative work, a peaceful lifestyle or meaningful success - if you’re willing to let God lead. When ambition becomes a tool in the hands of obedience, it builds the Kingdom instead of your ego. So dream boldly, but surrender often.

Q: What to do when you feel stuck in life as a Christian?

A: When you feel stuck in life as a Christian, start by bringing your frustration to God honestly, then ask Him to reveal the next small step. Feeling stuck isn’t failure. It’s often God’s way of slowing you down for redirection, refinement, or rest.

Q: How do you tell if you're ungrateful?

True ingratitude shows up as entitlement; when we believe God owes us something and we ignore His goodness in the everyday. But before you label yourself ungrateful, pause. Sometimes what feels like ingratitude is actually a deeper ache: disappointment, burnout, or longing you haven’t named yet.

God isn’t looking for polished thank-yous. He’s after honesty.

You can say:
“God, I know You’ve blessed me... but I still feel empty,”
and He won’t withdraw. In fact, that kind of raw honesty is often the doorway back to gratitude. When you name your desires and your disappointments in the presence of God, you begin to see your life clearly. Not through shame, but through grace.

Gratitude isn’t ignoring your struggles. It’s trusting that even in them, God is still good.✨ 

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Related Reads

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Final Thoughts

Maybe the life you're longing for isn’t a fantasy. Maybe it’s the beginning of your calling. Maybe it’s the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit saying:

“There is more. And you are allowed to want it.”

God doesn’t reprimand His sons and daughters for dreaming. He invites us to trust, walk, and follow Him into a world where we can finally breathe.

So here I am, like Ariel - looking up, singing softly:

“Wish I could be… part of that world.”
And maybe now, I finally can be.

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