You know you are pretty _________ (insert lame adjetive here), when you find yourself calling your dad to talk about things he would normally be #8923749823 to hear about (sorry dad). Especially lame when he too is surprised. Hmmm. Red flag, "Sasha needs a life".
But I'm gonna bite my tongue before I call this second deal a red flag. Cause in all honesty, it's more like a white flag, surrender. And that's where it gets tricky. See in battle, (these are my views folks, don't judge) when the white flag is pulled, doesn't that seem like a sign of cowardliness, retreat, failure, just simply giving in? Wouldn't it be super lame and cowardly aka major weaksauce if in Pirates of the Caribbean, the pirates aboard the Black Pearl just surrendered and said "Aye, Matey just take er ship!" ...Uh yes! That would have meant that movie stunk and made like zero dollars in comparison to the bajillion it really did!
But when it comes to surrender in one aspect of life. It is anything but cowardly. It is actually one of the greatest things we can humanly do: surrender to Christ. This is an aspect of the Christian life that sometimes just gets verbally "expected", but it doesn't ever really happen. For me, it's not something I can do easily. If it were easy I wouldn't be writing about it. I struggle sometimes with being dedicated to my devotions daily, and surrendering is a lot more than a few chapters a day and a quiet time. Surrendering isn't necessarily something either. It's the someone you become. Sometimes we are the quiet kid who answers the call to lead worship or the broke college students answering the call to missions, the family who is accepting the gift of adoption, the entrepreneur that drives a junker so he can give in excess to those who really need it. Surrender is in all forms and all people. I don't think it's something you can just DO, it's not a switch you just flip one mornin. It's something that comes with your walk with the Lord, it's like your mutual agreement that we (as silly humans) are totally accepting the fact that we cannot do squat on our own and we are letting God do everything in His power to make us rely on Him more and more everyday. Just sign up for a mission trip, you'll see; He'll make you trust real well when that financial deadline comes close...but He's laughin at you, cause 'COURSE He's got it covered, and then SOME!
So when we surrender to Christ, it should feel like our feet can float and God's got our load- not lame like if they had surrendered the Black Pearl to Captain Sparrow. The decisions we make in moments of surrender can be really difficult though. And as humans, we may think they suck and they hurt or they don't make any sense. I'm pretty sure this is how most times of surrender may feel, but at the same time they are so freeing. And, (not to sound cliche), God has the bigger picture in His hands. He knows what's best for each of us and when we surrender we let Him help us make those "bigger picture" decisions..not just the ones our human eyes can see. We'd never get past the edge of the photo if we made all the moves on our own. If you don't understand what He's asking of you, then just pray and wait, He'll certainly open a door. And if He already has your attention, but the surrender part was pretty rough..check out these verses and be encouraged. Don't let the world tell you the choices you make in surrender are negative ones. HE'S got yo back! :) God is faithful: He turns our fears into faith and our compromise into commitment- His promises!
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things."
1 Peter 5:6-7"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 30:11.
"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy."
"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy."
"Be still, and know that I am God;"
Psalm 46:10a
Psalm 46:10a
"Don't let fear stop you from doing what you know you have to. Fear is only False Evidence that Appears Real, meaning all these thoughts going through your mind are coming from the enemy. Don't give those thoughts time to do their work, be encouraged, God is all the strength you'll ever need."
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