It occurred to me recently that I had more desires that I needed to surrender.
In my last article, I mentioned surrendering desires. Shortly thereafter, I realized that those desires that I referred to were desires relating to dreams that I hoped to achieve. Some have come to fruition, like becoming a teacher (which is one that has a very long story and life lesson attached!), or having my own little shop (for which I am humbly grateful and thankful!!); others are still aloof but surrendered, like having a published book (“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37 KJV).
The desires that I realized that I was holding so tightly to; praying about; and praying the Lord’s will be done were on a more personal level. What I realized was that I strongly desired these things mostly unrelated to my dreams, but were they really surrendered desires? Let me explain.
I think for many people, myself included, our strongest desire is for the safety and well-being of our family. Truthfully, I want things a certain way for them…not in every area, but some aspects. I do admit that I don’t always know best [even though mother often does (insert wink face)] because if I had my druthers, I may keep my family in a bubble…protecting them at the cost of their own success and “druthers”! I can sometimes cling so tightly to my wishes that I realized that it was a control problem that had crept back in, and those desires needed to be (re)surrendered.
I want to be healthy for my family, and I want my family (and myself) to not suffer in any way. Normal desires, I’d say. However, those strong desires can turn to fears for safety if we aren’t trusting God to truly know best…and for His timely execution of events that pertain to relieving any suffering or stress. That fear is directly related to wanting to control the events of life leading to the opposite of surrender.
The funny thing is that once we are able to lay all of that down and trust God and His timing, a weight is lifted. God is more able to fill those spaces, that are taken up by our own wants, with His Holy Spirit’s presence.
What I realized from this was that God did not have to create this old girl, but He saw fit to for a reason. I may not ever know the full intention or purpose behind why He created me unless He chooses to reveal that to me here on Earth, or once I make it to Heaven. But, I do know that no matter the specific reason(s), the ultimate reason is to bring glory and honor to His name; perhaps that others may know Him, and/or know Him better. Who am I to argue with how He chooses to do that in me. For again, He chose to create me. I owe everything to Him. Any gifts, talents, family, material gifts, health, etc…it all came from Him, and should be given back to Him. And, often…He gives right back…but with a peace that passes understanding…desires beyond what we can imagine or deserve…answers to problems that we couldn’t have dreamed up if we’d tried (and I often try!), because why? He is a miracle-working God. He only wants us to draw near.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” [emphasis mine]. Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you…” James 4:7-8a ESV
I am convinced that God wants to give His children good gifts. There are too many scriptures that support this. I know that life isn’t always rosy. Sometimes, we bring hardship on ourselves, and sometimes, the circumstances are beyond our control. Sometimes, we have to make a U-turn and seek God to help us get back on track. Other times, we are in a situation where we must just simply lean on Him and not our own understanding. Trusting Him with all of our heart isn’t always easy, and truthfully needs to be done every moment of every day. When we do (and, it sometimes takes practice), we don’t have to simply exist, we can thrive in the daily. It doesn’t have to be because of grand success as the world sees it, but it can be in our little part of the world where He placed us…where we are trusting Him and making a difference for Him. Then, we can better live…
“simply celebrating life and little things with a thankful heart.”
“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.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
“Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.” Psalms 37:3-5 NLT
“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:11 NLT
Link to previous article:
Pentecost
Simply Celebrate With Jackie 