What True Surrender Looks Like.

Hey girly,

I don't know about you, but I've really been feeling a shift in my spirit. Over the last few days, I have been feeling a different type of heaviness and a stubborn-like energy around me. I have been feeling a lack of excitement. A lack of motivation. A lack of joy. At the beginning of the year, God gave me a word that I hope will bring you a sense of peace today. God wanted me to tell you that whatever that feeling is you have, God is saying to let it go. God says that you need to let go. God has already dealt with whatever it is you are struggling with, whether it be anxiety, depression, worthlessness, or even the loss of a loved one. I know that what it is you may be going through is hard on you, and especially trying on your spirit, but you must surrender that pain. You are perfectly allowed to feel sad, hurt, and broken, but you cannot stay there. Staying in a broken place, no matter the circumstance, is just allowing the devil to win. Each time you choose to settle in a desert place, you are only inviting the tactics of the evil one to find its way into your mind and beat you down. You give the devil a run for his money each time he sees you down because he thrives on your weakness. God is calling you to surrender. God says he wants you to surrender that hurt to him. He wants to help you carry that weight. He does not want his children to suffer, but he knows that suffering is a part of life.

"But those that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Last week was quite different for me in comparison to this one. I've been especially complacent in taking the time out to spend with God. I was struggling to read my bible, or even to worship. I believed everything was great because I had no complaints; that I suddenly didn't need God because I was feeling quite comfortable and content where I was. Even in my sunken place. In my life, I have had countless moments where I had to truly look past myself and realize that I was being super hard on myself. I wouldn't admit that I needed help. There were times where I would get up every morning mentally reliving how I felt the night before. But God - he sustained me. I don't particularly remember what it was that led me to that moment, but somewhere down the line I started to understand that this life thing, as crazy difficult as it seems sometimes, isn't supposed to be easy. That's where surrenderance occurs. Surrender happens when you finally admit that you can't do it on your own. It's finally when you embrace and let go of those negative feelings. I'm referring to pride, frustration, confusion, denial; and whatever else it is that you are storing within your spirit. You give God the space he needs to work in your heart.

"Surrender happens when you finally admit that you can't do it on your own. Surender happens when you give God the space he needs to work in your heart."

Notice how I said embrace AND let go, and not let go as a single,stand-alone action. That's because they are meant to co-exist together. You can't have one without the other and expect the result to be positive.

There is a reason God doesn't call us the way we call ourselves. We so easily run to the words that we are used to hearing.

Things You Need to know about Surrenderance

The act of surrender is a choice. You have to choose to surrender, it's not anyone's decision but yours. Just like the meme of Jesus and the little girl, Jesus is holding the bigger teddy bear behind his back, but the girl is still focused on being sad because she has to give away the toy that she clearly loves. What she doesn't realize is that she has a choice to make. Does she continue to feel bad about losing out or does she willingly give up her toy in hopes that she'll recieve something better?

Jesus and the little girl talk about surrenderance

There are two stages that must happen to surrender the right way: you need to embrace and let go. It's so easy to say you let go of something only to pick it up again without a second thought. As hard as it may seem, it is necessary in order for you to step into the place where you are needed to be used by God.

You may be wondering what this means for you and how you can invite and create a sense of change in your life. In the next section, I will be breaking it down into actionable steps that can help eliminate some of the pressure and uncertainty that comes with moving into a new phase in life. 

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How to Surrender (the right way)

1. Know where you are (Embrace) - This seems like a given, but this first step is non-negotiable. How can you change something if you aren't acknowleding it. I'm not talking about when you complain repeatedly about the same thing and expect it to suddenly change. I'm talking about really taking the time to examine your life. This is where you start to ask yourself some important questions: What does your life look like? What is going on in your life right now? How are you feeling? Are there any issues that come to mind?

2. Be honest with God. I think to an extent, all of us feel we are always honest with God. You know we tell him how we don't like this or that. How upset we are because someone did this or that. Still, the type of honesty I'm refering to is where we completely let our guards down and begin to let God into private spaces, those that only few people see. Let God be the one of the few. The bible says that there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). God is that friend, he wants to be that friend for you. Even when your friends abandon you and your family misunderstands you, he knows how you feel and will build you to be firm and confident in your faith.

3. Cling to him. This probably feels pretty self explanatory but I want to tell you that in the process of building that relationship with God, and being honest with God, and yourself, you will begin to see a shift in the way you not only see yourself, but the way you view things around you, your friends, family, even the situations in your life cause your perception to change. You begin to act with a sense of compassion to others.

All in all, Surrenderance isn't about losing. But in the process of surrenderance, we lose things that we once valued (idols) in order to become more like Christ. We begin to love and hate the things Christ does. It is in that time, where he slowly helps us realize that what we have in the present is worth more than what we could have lost.