Surrender

     Something that the Lord has placed on my heart recently is the idea of surrendering. What does it look like to truly surrender it all to the Lord?

    The first thing that I think of when I think of surrender is the act of opening my closed fists. So often in life, I find myself holding onto things that the Lord blesses me with or brings into my life with my fists closed tightly around them. While this isn't always bad, it leaves no room for God to be able to work and move through those things. Another thing about the posture of closed hands is that we can't receive anything when our hands are closed. The devil loves to get us to hold on so tightly to the things of the world and convince us that they are God's best for us; when in reality they're far from it. When I live my life in a posture of open hands, I am allowing the Lord to place things in my life that He wants there, and I'm allowing Him to move and work through them.

    Something else that really helped me to understand the posture of surrender is this picture. Not everywhere we go in life can we hold onto all of the things that we want or need to hold onto. Imagine you're walking, on a hike, carrying a bunch of groceries, etc. You're wearing something that doesn't have any pockets, so you can't hold onto your keys, phone, wallet, or anything you may be carrying with you. So, you hand your phone to someone who can hold onto it for you. You hand it to your mom, dad, friend, or someone you trust. You're trusting that they will keep it safe and hold onto it until you're ready to receive it and have it back. In the same way, this is what our Heavenly Father does for us. He holds onto the things and keeps them safe to give back to us when we are ready for them.

    Sometimes we have this perception of surrender, that if I surrender something to God, it is for God to take away. If I surrender this to God, there is no other outcome than for Him to remove it from my life. While sometimes that is the case, most of the time, it's allowing God to hold onto it because we can't. We know and trust that God can keep it safe until we are ready for it. God is not withholding anything good from you. We don't have a God who just wants to remove all of the good things in our lives, instead, we have a God who wants to bless us when we are able to fully enjoy and receive the blessing He has for us. He wants to give you everything, but ultimately, He knows what we are able to hold onto in certain seasons of our lives. Why would God want to give you a blessing if you're so busy and you're carrying so much that you can't even recognize or hold onto it? What if we live our lives with open hands, allowing God to hold onto the blessings, allowing God to work through them so that when He hands them back to us we are confident that we are ready for it?

    Everything we have in life is God's to begin with. There is nothing we can do to earn the gifts and blessings that God gives, yet He still gives. The act of surrendering is giving back to God what was His in the first place. If we're holding onto something so tight because we are scared to lose it, we will never be able to fully receive all that God has for us. If the thing that God calls you to surrender seems like He has removed from your life, it's not without reason. God does not take things out of our lives to leave us with nothing; He takes things out to replace them with something that is so much better. Sometimes, God calls us to surrender, and He removes something from our lives for a season, to refocus our vision and focus on Him, so that when He hands it back to us, we realize that it was His gift in the first place. If God has called you away from something, trust that He has something so much better for you. True surrender is opening my closed fists, giving it to God, and trusting Him with the outcome. 

                        I want to end this with a poem that I wrote called, "Joyful Dependence". 

"How comforting knowing that this life I live is not my own, 

Instead, I live humbly bowing before Your throne. 

For it is through my weakness that Your strength is made perfect, 

When I look back on this life I'll see that following You was worth it.

Weakness is my strength because dependence is my goal,

There's no holding back when it comes to the posture of my soul. 

For if  You clothe the lilies and watch over every sparrow,

I will trust You even when the path You lead seems narrow. 

The first bud whispers, 'New life and joy await you, He's not finished yet,'

For I will take Your yoke upon me and follow You for You paid my every debt. 

Here I am surrendering all, though it's not my first tendence, 

I'm learning to live my life for You in joyful dependence."


    Proverbs 3:5-6 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."



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