Freedom.
As Americans, it’s associated with wars fought and won. Our stars and stripes are a symbol of the men and women that laid down their lives, inviting in the “freedom” to say what we want to say, do what we want to do, and be the kind of person we want to be without fear of reprimanding.
Starting at the beginning of 2016, I began something I had never thought to do before: I prayed for a word from the Lord that would help guide the upcoming year. When the idea of doing this was presented to me, I was skeptical. Listening prayer wasn’t something I was particular accustomed to at the time (but now it’s the coolest thing in my life), causing doubts that Jesus would actually give me the word I was asking for.
I got an answer. It wasn’t one I was particularly thrilled about.
Surrender.
Okay, God. I get it. I’m going on this mission trip for nine months. You want me to surrender my home, my family, my friends…basically all the things I was used to. Anything else you want?
Yes.
Surrendering the physical, as it turns out, is simply the beginning. As I’ve learned on the race, the physical realm is often a manifestation of things occurring in the spiritual realm (FYI, the spiritual world is REAL and NOT something to ignore).
Following my surrender of America and all my comforts, the actual painful surrendering began. And, as it turns out, you may have to surrender the same things day after day, because when it comes to satan’s attacks, waving a white flag in the air doesn’t stop his attempts at disrupting our lives.
On the race, you live with people 24/7, so that in itself is a surrender. It’s giving up alone time, space, privacy, etc. It’s also surrendering the need to be right, the desire to always be the best, and keeping up the constant facade that life is always all put together. Odds are, none of those things will ever be true, so it’s best to give them up altogether.
I’ve learned to surrender my heart to people that have the power to break it, because vulnerability, as I’ve also learned on the race, is a muscle that needs strengthening.
I’ve learned to surrender sins that I’ve kept in the dark for too long to the Lord, who already knew all of them anyways, but was waiting for me to bring them into the light, allowing restoration and healing to finally take place.
I’ve learned to surrender a Netflix&Chill mentality…mostly because wifi is scarce, but actually because life is meant to be lived, and not avoided while staring at a computer screen. (Netflix is not a bad thing, but it’s BEST when in moderation).
The word “surrender” generally has a negative connotation, but I have found the sweetest thing in the midst of it: freedom.
Bet you didn’t see that one coming.
When we give up the things that unknowingly take up space in our hearts, we allow Jesus to invade the places He was seeking all along. Lives change, love grows, and the Kingdom is ultimately impacted when we choose to surrender the hard things at the foot of the cross and walk away.
Freedom, though it may take a while to find, is so incredibly sweet once it’s finally found.
As Christians, the moment we place our faith in Jesus Christ, freedom enters and freedom is OURS! And the more we seek Him, the more we find Him and the freedom He brings. It even prompts us to want to share that freedom with those around us because we know just how good it really is.
Surrender is painful. It’s never easy to give up the things we hold near and dear to our hearts. However, when we embrace the truth that nothing is actually ours to begin with, surrender truly becomes the most freeing thing we can do.
Freedom.
My word for 2017.
Walk into it, embrace it, live it.
It’s pretty sweet.
