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| "I Surrender!" |
I've been reading a lot of blogs lately that have been really inspiring to me--people seeing a need for change in their lives and how they are deciding to change the way they are living (diets, cleaning habits, routines, etc)
For me, it's been the "kick in the pants" that I've been needing...I have some changes I want to make in my every day life, but they aren't easy (well, I guess change never is easy!). They are changes I've tried to commit to over and over, yet they usually are short-lived.
Even with the best intentions most of my commitments usually don't last long...
--I want to wake up early to prepare my heart for the day, pray and read the Word.
--I want to memorize more scripture and practice having a constant prayer life.
--I want to make good choices to eat healthy foods.
--I want to be more intentional with my neighbors.
But what I have been learning is that my commitments usually don't last long, because I am the one in control of seeing them through.
The ball is always in "my court" and so when I don't feel like doing something...well, I just don't do it.
My good intentions are usually pushed aside when I am feeling extra sleepy, super busy, lazy and selfish (which happens more often than I'd like to admit!).
This past Sunday our pastor talked about surrender...and I realized, THAT has been my missing link!!!
"COMMITMENT IS NORMALLY CONNECTED
TO CIRCUMSTANCES AND UNDERSTANDING.
SURRENDER IS CONNECTED TO LORDSHIP."
Surrendering my commitments to my Savior, giving HIM control of my "good intentions" and falling back on Him when I "just don't feel like it"...
So I've been trying this week anew--
--Surrendering my mornings to Him
--Surrendering my thought life to Him
--Surrendering my body and choices to Him
--Surrendering my free time to Him
So, if you've been finding yourself in the same hopeless cycle with your commitments as I have, whether it's food, devotions, church attendance, behavior or whatever, I'd encourage you to surrender it to the Lord. Don't just make a commitment and then strive for it alone...It's so refreshing to follow through in His power and not rely on our own weak will power!
"Failure, frustration and disappointment are the legacy of commitment, because it is always about me and depends entirely on me to achieve some outcome. Surrender takes 'me' out of the equation. As I heard a person once say, 'When I began to follow Christ, I resigned as General Manager of My World.'"
-From Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray
Lord, this week is yours. I surrender my mornings, my homeschooling and my parenting to you. They are yours. When I feel like taking the easy way out, I will carry through, but only by your strength. I will work as unto You...not to please myself or my resolutions, not to check something off a list, not to pat myself on the back. Instead, I'll do it to honor you...the Giver of my life and all that I have and do! I am surrendered.
12 comments:
Wow, what an inspiring message. Thank you for sharing it.
It is true that sometimes I am too weak to follow through with what I committed myself to do. Usually those are things that only affect me. I do not believe in taking back commitments I have made to others because they count on me to follow through. However, when it comes to commitments that only affect me, I usually fail horribly if I don't have any other motivation than my own commitment to myself.
Blessings,
Kate
Bravo Grace!!! Thank you for posting this. I feel this will resonate with most people. I too fall short more times then I care to admit, and like Kate wrote when it comes to promises or commitments made to others I have no problem following through, however on ones made for me I fail miserably sometimes. Keep on and thank you for encouraging all to surrender to HIm all we are, do and have.
thank you for this post.
Oh, I need this. I have been trying to find the motivation to get my house in order and get myself back to the gym...but I keep failing.
Surrender. What an amazing word that encompasses every area of our lives. Thanks, Grace, for this wonderful post.
Love this post and the picture at the top is absolutely perfect! :)
Great post! I love how you can explain something so plainly and easy to understand! It's awesome!
This is so true and I admire you for being willing to give it all to Him. I too have the 'want to' but most times I just 'don't want to', if that makes sense. For me, I first need to really want to give it all to Him, I'm just stuck with keeping it all to myself.
Thanks for sharing this today.
I just loved this post.
Caroline
yea. i theoretically learned about this first at h2o retreat in like 9th grade. But I've had to relearn it over and over and over since then. Making vows really just relies on myself, and results in guilt.
Noticed ya deleted facebook. Love the picture of trusten and Ryan. I actually have been playin this nerf gun game on campus called humans vs. zombies. Basically a campus wide tag game were humans shoot zombies to stun them and zombies try to "eat" humans by tagging them. Real fun.
Anyway, I'd love to potentially see you some over thanksgiving or christmas if you're available. It's been FOREVER. Thanksgiving might not be best for me (might be going to colorado). But I should be free for like 3 weeks in December/January (not doing big trips like normal). Let me know what your guyses availability is and maybe we can work something out ahead of time. Hope all is well
John
I often need a kick in the pants. It's just SO easy to say, "I'll do it tomorrow". But, it feels so much better when I do it TODAY!
Sounds like you have some great ideas! I think discipline is very much a part of life - but surrender comes first. Surrendering to the duties of our calling. The perspective we have can make such a difference.
I think of the verse, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." What I find so interesting about that verse is that it doesn't say, I will make your work seem easy or that I will make you feel better about your work... no, it says, "I will give you rest". Ah, sweet rest. Why wouldn't we want to surrender to that - to Him?
Thanks for sharing Grace.
Love,
Lynnette
Something I have been doing to get more Scripture in my life has been listening to Scripture put to praise music. Like it is good music, not boring at all. They are peppy praise songs that the kids and I sing together. It's called Seeds of Courage, Seeds of Praise, Seeds of Faith and so on. Very good!
I love getting more Scripture in this mind. It helps me fight the devil's mind games and take those thoughts captive.
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