Surrender....This is probably one of the scariest words in the human language. I hate this word personally b/c anytime God teaches me a lesson in this subject it usually results in a huge disruption to my life-for the better of course, but no less hard to grasp. In looking up definitions for the word surrender a common word I found was yield, so being a word nerd i looked up definitions for yield. my favorite definiton was:"to give up, as to a superior power or authority." what a beautiful & honest description of walking w/God.
To walk w/the Almighty is to learn to live a life of surrender. A life of yielding to His Holy Spirit and obeying as He leads. Its about exchanging all those things you once valued for kingdom treasures-some of which people will not understand. Part of surrender is about yielding your mindset, and learning to view things from a completely different perspective-a kingdom perspective. Learning things like the first will be last, to find your life you must lose it, or to love your enemies, things that are counter-intuitive to our depraved human nature. Surrender is about giving all our hurts & life scars to the Father so that He can heal them & so that We can add them to our grace story to minister to others. Surrender is about allowing God to set us free from the chains of fear, inadequacy, & pride or whatever else keeps us from becoming who we are meant to be. Surrender is trusting that God knows best (especially when we disagree) & that His plans are infinitely better than anything we could ever dream up b/c He sees the bigger picture. Surrender is trusting that God is truly good even in the darkest hours, trusting that He is with you when you feel like the only soul in the universe, and trusting that He'll guide you when you embark on a new journey far far from home.
Surrender looks different to everyone. What some find easy to surrender is a nightmare for others. For me personally I have a hard time surrending plans-I hate when I have a plan & then it gets changed. Part of that is that I just dont like change. Change & I have a love-hate relationship, while I loathe its coming, I also simultaneously yearn for it. Deep down I always know that in the long run its for the better, however that rarely helps me in the transition of change. My remedy for this problem is to simply quit making plans-if there are no plans to begin with, then there's no upset when they change. As a woman I naturally struggle with control. I like knowing what's going to happen, I like knowing that I have the upper hand in a situation, and I like the consistency that having control brings to the craziness that is life. Personal surrender is something that God has to help me w/on a daily sometimes hourly basis b/c needless to say, its NOT something I can do on my own & I'm extremely grateful that I don't have to attempt it alone.
Surrender isnt just a word or something that sounds good in theory. It's a way of living-a lifestyle. a commitement. a commitment to a lifestyle yielding to something bigger than ourselves. A commitment to a deeper relationship & more personal understanding of God Almighty in our daily life. A commitment thats well worth the risks involved.
