I have been praying for some time that the Lord would give me a word for this year.
I love it when I'm praying and I hear Him so clearly. That still small voice. The sweet fellowship back and forth with my Lord.
Sometimes the answer comes easily, quickly. Sometimes He wants us to persue Him over and over again until He releases the answer.
Either way, it is beautiful communion with the God of Heaven, the Savior and Lover of my soul.
Last week, He gave me this word:
SURRENDER.
At first, I was confused.
I thought I had already surrendered to His will and way.
Why then, the word surrender?
The answer came in Romans 12.
"I beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies.....
A LIVING SACRIFICE....."
Surrender to God is not just a one-time deal.
Yes, on the day I gave my life to Jesus Christ, I surrendered my will to His.
I became His child and His servant.
But surrender must be a daily act of laying my life on the altar.
"A living sacrifice". Alive in Christ, yet dead to myself.
Surrender means dying to my wants and meeting the needs of another instead.
In "momma terms", it means cleaning up the vomit with a smile.
Holding the raging child without getting angry.
Getting less sleep because the laundry isn't fininshed.
Staying calm and patient in the chaos.
Taking the time to train my children and pour my life into meeting their needs (when sometimes I'd rather just.be.lazy).
Following my husbands leadership, even when I love to "take charge".
Forgiving those who have hurt me, not because it's easy but because I'm DEAD anyway. (Ever notice how dead people don't get offended?)
This year, I'm going to focus more on full Surrender to the Lord and His daily plan for my life.
What are some of YOUR goals for 2013?
Do you have a special word or thought you're meditating on this year?
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Selina,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the remarkable post. I have enjoyed your writing so very much. My manifestation of "surrender" is I am starting to sell things which I treasured to pay for a return trip to The Congo. Tonight I sold a pistol which I had valued. Tomorrow I will joyfully deliver it to its new owner and the money will be put to a better use. I feel so free.
Pastor Bob,
DeleteI love your focus on giving up the temporal for the eternal. Thank you for the reminder.
I'm trying to set realistic goals for my girls' education. We are homeschooling. My two older girls are soooo far behind, but one in particular just isn't a hard worker. What does the future hold for her?
ReplyDeleteSanctification is the work of a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteI was motivated by our talk during your visit (and also by reading your blog afterward) to focus on HELPING my children to obey, rather than MAKING them obey. :-) In the area of parenting, this is going to be my emphasis for the year. Thanks for that much-needed reminder! Power struggles with our children are very counter-productive.
ReplyDeleteI loved our time together, visiting and eating such yummy food. :)
DeleteI'm glad you found the conversation helpful. I love it when the Lord uses dear friends to encourage us in our job as wives and mothers!
Blessings, dear friend.
great word, Selina!
ReplyDeleteI don't do the one word thing but I really would like to. I set goals but I think it would help to have ONE focus or theme. May have to think about it and see if the Lord shows me one word :)
I didn't hear it as surrender, but yes, I got the absolute same direction. I wrote a short blog post about it and I called it "Wearing my Mom's Old Clothes" ..here's the link: http://god-reprieve.blogspot.com/ because my mom is a servant worthy of imitating.She wears her servant's clothes all the time...whereas I take the servant hat on and off at will. I may iron a new shirt for my husband because he didn't like the one I already ironed, but I may say something about it, or I may grumble in my heart. I may give half a dozen hair cuts to sons who all decided it was a must the day that I was extra tired, but I dread and fight against it in my heart. Yes, I lovingly serve much of the time, but I have my guarded, reserved spots that HE's asking me to surrender. I know it is to free me, not to use me up! Surrender is for freedom not bondage. I'm excited. I loved reading something similar to what He's saying to me, from a different perspective. I'm glad you shared. :) And may we serve and surrender with all our hearts this year!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your heart!
DeleteYes, outward surrender of our will is often much easier than true inward surrender.
Ouch. :)
Selina, did you get the idea for one word from Ann Voskamp's blog? My friend's & I are working on praying over one word for this year... :)
ReplyDelete