I Surrender All

Control. I love to be in control of things. My life, my schedule, my house. Control is something that you can probably relate to struggling with.

5 years started the path of desiring to expand our family. From the very beginning of our journey we decided not to pursue medical intervention, but in August 2013, the word surrender took on a whole new meaning for us.

“Me, surrender?”

It was then that the Lord called us to stop trying to make pregnancy happen. Not tracking, timing, charting or seeking medical intervention is what surrender has looked like for us.

When I initially hear the word surrender, I think of war or maybe even a wrestling match where one team or one side decides to yield to the other. Before moving forward, I wanted to share the definition of surrender, which is “to give (oneself) up into the power of another; to yield to the power, control of another.”

Isn’t surrendering ultimately what God called you to do with your whole life? When you surrender your will, your way, your desires and your plans to him it’s your way of saying, “Lord, I trust you and know that your ways are better than mine.” Matthew 16:24-25 says, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”  Isn’t denying yourself the act of surrendering?

The topic of surrender also reminds me of the hymn with theses lyrics:

All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live

Surrender isn’t meant to be done with a bad attitude and surrender isn’t meant to bring upon anger or bitterness when done so. Just as the lyric above says you are to “freely give.” I believe true surrender brings on a whole new sense of trust in the Lord, but it also brings the gift of peace and freedom, a gift that can only come from him.

What is something that you have clung to tightly that you are ready to surrender? What will it take to surrender to him? Will you choose to love and trust God? Will you choose to live in his presence daily?

The best thing that Colby and I could have done is surrender our plans and desires all to God. Whatever you are clinging to today, I encourage you to do the same; surrender it all to him. It’s not going to happen in your own strength, but with Jesus, you will be able to freely give to him what is already his.

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