Surrender is frowned upon and viewed as such an ancient, irrelevant word by society today. No one wants to give up or sacrifice much of anything nowadays, let alone themselves.
Surrender requires something of us. It requires us to give up our own instincts, desires and reasonings. Surrender is the act of submitting ourselves to the power of the One who has all power.
Yes, we will definitely have questions. Some of my memorable times with God are also some of the most intense, gut-wrenching heart to heart conversations I've had with Him. That alone, however is not what stands out to me. It is after I have emptied myself and begin to get quiet in His presence, how He begins to fill me with such peace. How He reminds me so lovingly how much He loves me. How much He yearns for this type of communion where I can be open and honest, yet allowing Him to have the final say.
We are human. We are going to feel. We are going to hurt. But it can't stop there.
This is not the end of our story. Through what we are experiencing, He wants to reveal to us so much more.
I love the quote "God is a complete gentleman, He will never force Himself on you." I've found this to be very true. He will not overstep boundaries we have put in place. In the midst of our pain, we have to let our walls down. In the midst of our brokenness, we must allow Him to break through the walls of despair. Of hopelessness. He is waiting for us to acknowledge Him, to seek Him for direction, to surrender to His will.
He meets us here. We don't have to clean ourselves up to meet Him. With tears streaming down our faces...we let go. We become still. And you know He is there. Waiting. Willing. To carry us. To purge us of everything that is not like Him.
Our flesh hates this and would rather remain in self-pity and misery. Pain can easily become our companion if we are not careful. It can become our comfort. But there is beauty on the other side of heartache. There is laughter after the tears. There is a breakthrough after you've reached your breaking point.
But first, we must let our walls down and surrender. Surrender our questions, our fears, our doubts, our inadequacies to a God who can handle it all.
We can really wallow in our pain, can't we? Does the thought of surrender cause you to cringe? What is most difficult for you to surrender? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below.
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| This is Day 21 of a 31 day series of “Hope Against Hope”. To read all of the posts in this series, click here. To read what several other bloggers are writing for the month of October, click here |
The thought of surrendering doesn't necessarily cause me to cringe, however it does make me step back and wonder how to totally SURRENDER? Surrender to me means I give the entire matter to the LORD!. As I have spiritually matured, I realize that is the only way God will bless me. Unfortunately, at times I still do not totally SURRENDER! One of my favorite songs is titled "I Surrender All", a few years ago while singing this song and totally surrendering a situation to the Lord I realized in time past I often did not truly surrender! Yes I sing it, yes I pray 'Lord if its your will and whatever the outcome I will be satisfied' but my Heart was never aligned with this prayer! I wanted to control the situation to fit my best outcome. I was fearful that the outcome would not be good enough.
ReplyDeleteTo God be the Glory for his GRACE IS SUFFICIENT, no matter the outcome!
I realize through joy, heartache, pain, doubt, the unknown, whatever it may be; I must totally SURRENDER everything to the LORD. Therefore, I am empty to receive his best for ME! Which would always be better than I could ever imagine!
Thanks for pouring out your heart on this Blog and your sincere transparency. I was there with you on that journey and I too struggle with the fact my dear niece, Reese Madison did not survive. However, we know God is sovereign and Reese is safely in his bosom (our biggest comfort in her death)' and for this we give him Praise!
Sis thanks so much for reading and staying on this journey with me! It means more than you'll ever know! Your comment makes me think of another post, how to surrender. Giving up all is the most difficult part. Most of us wouldn't admit there's an area we hold back on. Especially when the outcome is unknown.
ReplyDeleteKnowing Reese Madison is with Jesus is our greatest comfort! Her short life has strengthened me to share our story.
Thank you again! Love you much!!!
The thought of surrender alone, oh, it sounds easy EVERYTIME for me, yet when I actually try to step into doing it, it is the HARDEST thing to do! On one occasion I remember just grabbing my face and in a not so easy tone, with frustration, anger and teary eyes asking God "WHY IS THIS SO HARD?" I was frustrated, angry and teary eyed because it was something I could not do (me, someone who found doing most things easy with just a little discipline).
ReplyDeleteGod did not immediately answer my question, in fact I forgot I even asked it, but God didn't. I don't remember the situation or the occasion in when I received my answer, but I remember the answer. God showed me that I had fear that prevented me from surrendering to Him. When I was honest with myself this was so true. I feared a number of things which made it especially hard for me to surrender to God in the situation I was facing. Little by little, and I do mean little (of what I had the faith to do) I took steps towards surrendering to God. Each step that I took, God showed me life. I say it that way because this situation took my joy away; that's ultimately what fear does, it prevents us from entering into what good God has purposed for us. It breed death rather than life.
I slowly learned that I had to face those fears like Jesus did when he pursued death (the cross). He chose to go and I had to choose to put on Jesus and walk with all my trust in God, just like Jesus did when he went to the cross. He faced death, yet He lives. As I continually learn to surrender to God, by putting all my trust in him no matter my circumstance or what the natural may look like and regardless of the fears I have, I remember what God said to Joshua before going to the other side of the Jordan "be strong and courageous for the Lord your God is with you." Even in surrendering I find my strength is in God alone. What was on the other side of the Jordan, but a land filled with milk and honey...I have to remember this always when am faced with difficult times of surrenderence. It will always be for my good if I fall suit to God's ways. I'm daily trying to get my milk and honey! God help me!
I love you so much! Thank you for sharing your story (as I am catching up). I have always wanted to ask you to share with me, because you know I have no pause when asking tons of questions. This situation I did though, have a pause, and had comfort knowing that in the right timing. Not because I was trying to be nosey, but because I learn so much from you and dad as my god-parents. Daily I seek growth and I know that the best teachers are those that have experiences. I have learned so much from you guys experiences. I have no doubt that our relationship is God-ordained and I am very glad and appreciative that we allowed God to intervene. You are the best! Love you!
Wow! You have said a mouthful! Thanks for sharing your struggle in this area. Surrender is HARD and our flesh bucks against it constantly. Jesus is our great example! Choosing to follow His example is a choice we must seek to make daily. I'm so glad to hear you are walking this out with God's help.
DeleteYou could always ask me anything, but I thank you for being respectful of this season in my life. I'm glad you learn from us as we learn from you as well, believe it or not! :-)
Love you much!