Soul Care - Surrender
by Mary Elsbury
It’s the start of a new year. Resolutions have been made and you are wanting to throw in the towel already.
Creating a list of the things that you would like to achieve is a great goal, but it often comes at a price. You might want to lose the 20 pounds you gained over the holidays. That will take working out at the gym and choosing not to eat favorite foods. Maybe you want to read more books or spend time with the family. The tradeoff is that you must give up some activities on your calendar to make it happen. Take a moment to prioritize your list. It’s sometimes hard to rank a list of priorities but give some thought about the value you give these important things.
Now, look at your list and consider: where does God fit into this list? How about your personal faith and your relationship with God? What about your church and your engagement with the community of faith? There are so many parts of our lives we consider “important” that it is imperative to recognize God as the giver of all good things. It is also important that we consider our relationship to our Savior and our roles in sharing God’s love with others.
The process involves surrendering our wants and desires to what will glorify God more. To spiritually surrender means letting go of control and trusting God completely. When you surrender to Christ, you aren’t giving up your God-given uniqueness and identity. You are living in the hope that God has your best interest at heart.
Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest describes surrendering to God’s will this way:
True surrender is not simply surrender of our external life but surrender of our will— and once that is done, surrender is complete. The greatest crisis we ever face is the surrender of our will. Yet God never forces a person’s will into surrender, and He never begs. He patiently waits until that person willingly yields to Him. And once that battle has been fought, it never needs to be fought again.
Many examples of surrender are found in Scripture. The prodigal son gives up on his wild way of life and runs back home to his father. That return is met with rewards beyond expectations. He is received with open arms, lavish love, and a new life as a restored son. Jesus lived a life of continual surrender to the Father. As He was facing death, Jesus said to the Father (Luke 22), “not my will, but yours, be done.” Walking with Christ means continual surrender, trusting that God is guiding your path.
So instead of feeling out of control and wanting to give up your goals for 2022, know that you are not alone in the struggle. As a woman of faith, you are blessed with the certainty that God is in control. He cares about you. God will never leave you or change His mind about loving you. And that’s one goal to check off your list.
