Surrender- A new understanding

SURRENDER

 

 

This word has taken on new meaning in my life. As I look over the last few years I realize how difficult things have been for me. In every aspect of my life from the physical and emotional, to the relational, financial and mental...... each part of me has had to undergo a dramatic transformation to deal with and move on from the situations I have been faced with. It is no secret that my life is not what I would have expected it would be. Nor is it a surprise to anyone that I have struggled with this idea over the past few years as I have come to accept my new reality. In this however, I have also come to the realization that I am exactly where God wants and needs me to be. He has control and will take care of me in the process of getting me to the next step.

 

 

I have tried to lift my concerns to the Lord and ask for help but in true fashion I always take them back and think I can handle it on my own. The truth is that God does not work like that. We have to be willing and ready to surrender ourselves... our circumstances... our thoughts... our lives to Him in order for Him to really work in our lives and bless us the way He has planned. It is not in our timing but God's and that is often a hard concept to accept. My life circumstances are not what I would have chosen but as I look back I can see how I have been molded into a different person. God has been at work in my life even when I was not able to see Him and has been pouring blessings on me despite my lack of faith and unwillingness to look at those ways in which He was providing for me.

 

 

I feel God working to this day in my life and I am excited to see it come to fruition. What He has planned, only time will tell but I am excited to see the path He has made for me. I am not sure how long it will take but I am content to wait for I know it will be better than I would have ever dreamed.

 

 

I am ready to surrender my life to fully knowing Him.

What is normal?

I am definitely finding myself in a slump lately and cannot figure out why. If I had to guess I would say that I am processing past events and really starting to see my reality. Since becoming single again I have been focused on school and being a mom that I have barely had a chance to really think about my new normal. And it certainly looks different than what I would have thought.

In a few short months I will be graduating from grad school with a masters degree. This in itself is a miracle as I was never one to continue school beyond high school graduation. Gradually though I realized the importance and saw opportunities come my way and doors being opened. I am now ten weeks from completion of my final grad class and very much looking forward to what lies beyond.. or am I?

Many people in my situation would be planning on the next family vacation, the next baby they were going to have or the big celebratory party for accomplishments reached. Myself on the other hand will be alone to raise my daughter, looking for jobs to begin my new career and still waiting and wondering when my life is going to start. In 2001 when I said I do I thought that would be forever and I would be able to count on that forever however this is no longer my reality. I have been hiding my disappointment and hurt because it is easier. I stayed busy with school, work and my child that my pending future was but a distant thought.

I am not even sure what normal is anymore. Growing up I saw myself happily married, a few kids, a job and spending time with family and friends as a normal part of life. I no longer have that but I see so many people around me enjoying those things that I so longed for. Will they come for me? Maybe. But as I get older and the prospects are not showing up I am wondering if my plan has to change. I might not be able to have more kids. I might not be going on family vacations or romantic getaways. Instead I see the possibility of living through the stories of others who are able to enjoy those things that I had and then lost.

I am not sure if people know what they have until they lose it. I have heard this said before and I am thinking there is a lot of truth in it. Now as I struggle I try to find peace in God and His word.

I ask Him to guide my life.

If this is my new normal I ask Him to help me make sense of it and change my heart and my desires. This is certainly not what I had envisioned my life to be and I have a feeling with this new chapter of my life without school if my reality is about to come crashing in on me.

Who said it was going to be easy?

Let us go over to the other side.(Mark 4:35)

Even though we follow Christ's command, we should not expect to escape the storm. In this passage of Scripture, the disciples were obeying His command, yet they encountered the fiercest of storms and were in great danger of being drowned. In their distress, they cried out for Christ's assistance.

Christ may delay coming to us during our times of distress, but it is simply so our faith may be tested and strengthened. His purpose is also that our prayers will be more powerful, our desire for deliverance will be greater, and when deliverance finally comes we will appreciate it more fully.

Gently rebuking His disciples, Christ asked, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (v.40). In effect, He was saying, "Why didn't you face the storm victoriously and shout to the raging winds and rolling waves, 'You cannot harm us, for Christ, the mighty Savior, is on board'?"

Of course, it is much easier to trust God when the sun is shining than to trust Him when the storm is raging around us.

Yet we never know our level of genuine faith until it is tested in a fierce storm, and that is why our Savior is on board. If you are ever to "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" (Eph. 6:10), your strength will be born during a storm. (selected)

With Christ in my vessel,
I smile at the storm

Christ said, "Let us go over to the other side" - not "to the middle of the lake to be drowned." Daniel Crawford

Above taken from Streams in the Desert devotional, June 3

Why continually worry about things not yet here?

"God does not open paths for ue before we come to them, or provide help before help is needed. He does not remove obstacles out of our way before we reach them. Yet when we are at our point of need, God's hand is outstretched.

Many people forget this truth and continually worry about difficulties they envision in the future. They expect God to open and clear many miles of road before them, but He promises to do it step by step, only as their need arises. You must be in the floodwaters before you can claim God's promise. Many people dread death and are distressed that they do not have "dying grace". Of course, they will never have the grace for death when they are in good health. Why should they have it while in the midst of life's duties, with death still far away? Living grace is what is needed for life's work and calling, and then dying grace when it is time to die." J.R.M. (Streams in the Desert)

Why is it that we are so focused on the things that could go wrong in our lives? We miss out on so much in our lives when we are constantly putting ourselves into a state of fear. We need to focus on God, focus on the things that matter in life and take things one day at a time. "The more intimacy we have with Christ, the more He will bless us" - Pastor Peter Haas. God is on our side so what should we ever have to worry about?

Blessings!
Renee

God knows

We often wonder why God has us endure what seems to be the impossible situation. We also forget that God will see us through.

"God knows that you can withstand your trial, or else he would not have given it to you. His trust in you explains the trials of your life, no matter how severe they may be. God knows your strength, and He measures it to the last inch. Remember, no trial has ever been given to anyone that was greater than the person's strength, through God, to endure it" (from Streams in the Desert)

These are powerful words that caught me off guard. Too often people comment on how they do not know how I have made it through, they do not understand how I have stayed so strong, they do not know how they would have handled themselves in the same situation. For some reason God saw me fit to fight this seemingly uphill battle. God has thrown this life at me for some reason and I hope that through my experiences I can be a testament to others. I hope that God will reveal His ultimate plan to me. I know in His time I will see it but for now I can rest in the comfort that God always knew that I would be able to make it through this. Now I believe I can make it through anything.

Renee

"God likes when we sing in the car"

So my little and I had the deepest theological discussion I would ever imagine possible between myself and a 4 year old. We were going through some things in my room and found a wall hanging that is not hanging up yet..... It is a heart and in the center there hangs a cross, all made of nails. I explained to her the significance of it to me and what the cross stands for. She knew that the cross had something to do with Jesus but she was unsure what it was.

We talked for a long time about what it means to be a Christian and why we go to Church and read the Bible and about the love that God has for us. She knows that her mommy and daddy love her and I told her that God loves her even more than we do, so much that he sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross to save us from the bad things we do. When we say we are sorry to God, He forgives us because He loves us so much.

She would sit and think about these words for a while. The most interesting part that she found was the cross. She was very concerned and even asked if Jesus got hurt on the cross. I told her that yes, he did. He died on the cross and then God saved him to show us how much He cares for us.

I then brought up the fact that we listen to music in the car and sing songs to Jesus. She has a cd that I keep in the car of worship music for kids. I told her that God likes when we sing to Him because it is a way that we show Him that we love Him by praising Him. She loves to sing in the car now and always asks to listen to "Here I am to Worship" over and over and over...... She is actually pretty good at this song. I love to hear her belt out the words, especially because she now knows there is a reason to sing praises.

Then she says to me, after singing with all of her heart.

Mommy, God likes it when we sing in the car!

That is enough to melt a mommy's heart. This is the reason I continue to take her to church and make sure that she knows God's love for her. I cannot create faith for her but I can introduce it to her and make sure she knows what it is and that it is an important and regular part of her little 4 year old world.

Do not be anxious about anything. (Phillipians 4:6)

"Quite a few Christians live in a terrible state of anxiety, constantly fretting over the concerns of life. The secret of living in perfect peace amid the hectic pace of daily life is one well worth knowing. What good has worrying ever accomplished? It has never made anyone stronger, helped anyone do God's will, or provided for anyone a way of escape out of their anxiety or confusion. Worry only destroys the effectiveness of lives that would otherwise be useful and beautiful. Being restless and having worries and cares are absolutely forbidden by our Lord, who said, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'" (Matt. 6:31). He does not mean that we are not to think ahead or that life should never have a plan or pattern to it. He simply means that we are not to worry about these things.

People will know that you live in a constant state of anxiety by the lines on your face, and the tone of your voice, your negative attitude and lack of joy in your spirit. So scales the heights of a life abandoned to God, and your perspective will change to the point that you will look down on the clouds beneath your feet. Darlow Sargeant

It is a sign of weakness to always worry and fret, question everything and mistrust everyone. Can anything be gained by it? Don't we only make ourselves unfit for action, and separate our minds from the ability to make wise decisions? We simply sink in our struggles when we could float by faith.

Oh, for the grace to be silent! Oh, to "be still, and know that [Jehovah is] God" (Ps. 46:10)! "The Holy One of Israel" (Ps. 89:19) will defend and deliver His own. We can be sure that His every word will stand forever, even though the mountains may fall into the sea. He deserves our total confidence. So come, my soul, return to your place of peace, and rest within the sweet embrace of the Lord Jesus.

Peace your inmost soul will fill
When you're still!"
(From Streams in the Desert)

It is amazing how we worry and fret about everything that comes our way. I am no stranger to this and admitedly, have probably raised my own blood pressure due to the amount of stress and worrying I have placed on myself. While we would rather not have to face situations that cause worry, I think that God uses those situations to see how we will react. Will we draw closer to Him and trust in His plan? Will we hold onto things because we have a hard time trusing in Him and waiting patiently for Him to work as He sees fit? While it is easier said than done (and I will need the occasional reminder myself, I think it is time to let go. God has promised us He will take care of us. He has promised that we will be provided for. Why then is it so hard to do?