Category: Things I’m learning

Surrender is a daily thing. It’s a process (like everything) that is moment by moment, choice by choice.

I’ve come to places in life where I thought “God, I thought I already gave this to you” And He gently says, “You’re still holding onto it”

I had what I call the “chunk theory” of surrender. Give everything you can at the moment and then later He’ll show you another chunk, so you give that one…and the process goes on until eventually, you have no chunks left.

But lately, I’ve realized that it isn’t like that. Surrender really is a daily exercise. It doesn’t happen all at once and I don’t think we’ll ever be done in this life. It’s another way of living in the moment. It’s waking up each day and choosing to live life in His grace; saying “not my will, but Yours, Lord.”

If everything made sense, the journey would be easier.
But would it be worth it?

If everything made sense, we might have all the answers.
But would we be walking by faith?

If everything made sense, we would be able to see the bigger picture more clearly.
But could our minds handle it?

If everything made sense, maybe God’s will would be obvious.
But would it require trust?

If everything made sense, we could try to work our way to God.
But then would grace be necessary?

If everything made sense, we would know how to respond appropriately.
But would we learn anything?

If everything made sense, the outcome would not be a surprise.
But would that make it a risk?

If everything made sense, would we learn to lean wholly on the One who made us?
Maybe that’s why life doesn’t make sense sometimes…

There is some danger in thinking big. There’s the risk of losing sight of the reason behind our actions. We can get so caught up in “making it work” and “fulfilling the dream God has given us” that we miss why God gave us the vision in the first place. We constantly have to recalibrate and ask: What is my goal? Is it to do/be _____ at all costs? Or is it to be strategically placed and used by God in something He’s made me passionate about?

We established in the last post that ultimately, the idea of thinking big is part of learning to surrender; it’s trusting God with your life and not yourself. This includes surrendering the success and outcome of the dream. The truth is, we may never see our dream fulfilled. We may never “make it” in the world’s eyes. And we have to be ok with that.

We have to remember that thinking big doesn’t only apply to the “big” things (the dreams, accomplishments, etc) It also applies to the small stuff; things we think are unimportant or insignificant. All those little details make up a bigger picture. When we look at our plans in light of this bigger picture, our perspective changes. We realize that our dream is a little part of something big and we become aware of the opportunities God has placed us in front of us.

Louie Giglio says, “A pathway of faithfulness is better than a pinnacle of success”* I believe that part of being faithful includes pursuing the dreams God has placed in us—pursuing them to the best of our ability—but not at the expense of making ourselves the center of the story.

Don’t settle for being a big part of something little. God gave you the dream for a reason and even if you don’t see it fulfilled as you imagined, know He was using the process for His glory. Pursue the dream, keeping the bigger picture in mind, trusting God for what He can do and remembering our reward is in heaven—the ultimate pinnacle.

 

*Sermon at a Passion City Church on 2/6/11

Lately I’ve noticed how small we tend to think. As we grow up, we seem to lose our imagination and shift our thoughts to what we call reality; we shy away from anything that seems hard or impossible. But is it really reality? When we think small we limit God to human size.  We end up limiting ourselves as well. Oh, we have our reasons: sometimes we’re afraid of failure, sometimes we care what others may think, or we may claim that we don’t have the time. Our plans tend to stay within our comfort zone of what we see ourselves capable of.

But don’t we serve a God who can do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine?

What if we took the risk of attempting something we knew we couldn’t do alone? What if we raised the standard and challenged the status quo? What if we actually expected God to work?

Even if it didn’t turn out exactly as we had hoped wouldn’t it be more fulfilling to have tried something seemingly impossible than to have accomplished something you always knew you could do? I don’t want to look back and regret not pursuing a dream simply because I underestimated God (and what he could do through me).

It’s another type of surrender; trusting God to do something only He can. Taking a risk involves laying aside your plans and expectations and trading them for His. Sure, the road may be harder, more stressful, and certainly not always comfortable. But the journey will be worth it simply because God will be glorified in revealing Himself. Who knows, you may be surprised.

I challenge you (and myself): don’t think small. Let God show you what He can do. I pray that we will be constantly reminded that He is bigger than whatever is holding us back from pursuing the dreams He has placed in us. What would you like to accomplish but know you can’t without His power?

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. ~Ephesians 3:20-21

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness" ~2 Corinthians 12:9a

Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. ~Psalm 46:10

Rejoice in the Lord, again I say rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 4:4-7

Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established. ~Proverbs 16:3

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. ~Joshua 1:9

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ~Romans 8:31

I've got voices in my head and they are so strong
And I'm getting sick of this, oh Lord, how long
Will I be haunted by the fear that I believe
My hands like locks on cages
Of these dreams I can't set free

But if I let these dreams die
If I lay down all my wounded pride
If I let these dreams die
Will I find that letting go lets me come alive

So empty my hands
Fill up my heart
Capture my mind with You
Oh empty my hands
Fill up my heart
Capture my mind with You
With You, with You Lord

These voices in speak instead and what's right is wrong
And I'm giving into them, please Lord, how long
Will I be held captive by the lies that I believe
My heart's in constant chaos and it keeps me so deceived

But if I let these dreams die
If I could just lay down my dark desire
If I let these dreams die
Will I find you brought me back to life

So empty my hands
Fill up my heart
Capture my mind with You
Oh Lord, empty my hands
Fill up my heart
Capture my mind with You

Cause my mind is like a building burning down
I need Your grace to keep me, keep me from the ground
And my heart is just a prisoner of war
A slave to what it wants and to what I'm fighting for

So won't you empty my hands
Fill up my heart
Capture my mind with You
Oh empty my hands
Fill up my heart
Capture my mind with You

With You, with You
I need You, I need you my Lord
With You, with You
I need you now Lord

Empty My Hands by Tenth Avenue North

Most of the time I’m preaching to myself with my blog posts. The Checklist post was no exception. Within a few days of publishing that post I got bombarded with the truth and reality of what I had just written.

 I thought I was trusting God and going with the flow but the truth is, I’m not (tense change intentional). When a little cog got thrown into what I thought were my plans…well, let’s just say I had a breakdown (and possibly a tantrum). My emotions went a little crazy and all the unanswered questions flooded my mind Why in the world!? What if…? What about…? But I… When?

 I’m left with no other choice but to take life one step at a time.

God was saying, “Trust me. Just one day at a time. You don’t have to know all the answers” So that’s what I’m learning to do. I really don’t know all the details beyond glimpses of what’s ahead. But He does and that’s what I’m counting on.

I’m a goal oriented person. I like to make lists and check them off. I love making and seeing progress. Sometimes, I’m afraid I approach life this way.

Ok, I’m done with high school now I need to go to college and get a degree. What’s next? Get a job. Check. I gotta get married; hmm, who should I choose? Ok, I found him. Now start a family, home-educate the kids, get them graduated. Then use our new found “free” time to do the things we couldn’t do earlier. And somewhere in between all those items, we can start a business, serve abroad, and write/ publish a book. Those are just the big ones; there’s also the day to day, year to year goals. Did I get everything done on my to-do list? Are we going to get that promotion? Should we move into that area? Not to mention the more abstract goals: am I living a life for His glory? Did we raise kids to walk with the Lord? Am I loving those around me while not judging them? And it goes on…

But I’m starting to realize that God doesn’t always work that way. He may have the list in a different order, He might have an entirely different list, or He may have no list at all. When we approach life as a checklist, we lose sight of the little things that matter. Because we are constantly looking for the next thing, sometimes we miss what’s going on in the present. We may even overlook opportunities simply because they aren’t in “our plan.”

I’m learning to take life as it comes and to know that everything will happen in His perfect timing. It’s freeing and a little scary but quite an adventure. I wonder which (if any) box will get checked next.

The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps ~Proverbs 16:9