If you told me I would be where I am today when I was young, I might not believe you. If you shared some of the details of my life before they happened, I would think you were talking about someone else. When my life turned out different than I imagined, I had two choices: stick around to see what’s next or run away. If every challenge leaves me shaking, then I forget that a life with God is always about the chance to surrender and the waiting that is on the other side.

Surrender

Last year was my year of surrender. Not only was it my One Word for 2018, but it was God’s way of teaching me to let go and know that He is my soft landing every time. It was beautiful, hard, filled with repeated lessons, and God’s gift of showing me that in the letting go, I lost a piece of myself but gained more of Him.

By the end of 2018, I believed I had “made it.” I was secure in my identity as His child. I believed I was enough in Him and I found freedom in knowing God is always with me. My work of surrendering led me to the top of the mountain. God called, I answered, and all that was left was resting in the place of surrender. But that is not where the story ends.

Surrender is one piece of the puzzle which I soon found doesn’t ever end.

God’s work in and through me is ongoing and He wants to lead me to complete freedom in Him. Surrender is the letting go that is necessary when I pick up stray ideas and wander in the wrong direction.

God quickly showed me that surrender aligns with waiting. In the process of letting go, God pruned, clipped, and nourished my soul. This required patience and hope in the in-between time.

Fast forward to 2019. God is teaching me that at the intersection of surrender and waiting there is freedom.

Waiting

Let’s talk about the waiting. If I characterized the last four years of my life, I would identify it as a time of waiting. Days of “not yet” morphed into months and then years, but hear me out. This time has been good to me.

Really!!

The work that God continues to accomplish in me and through me is exactly what is happening in the waiting. It is not a time of nothing but a period marked by God working behind the scenes. What I know is that God is working all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

That my friends is God’s promise for you and I.

Four years of sitting in the waiting has led me to where I am now–sitting in a posture of receiving. Too much time has passed where I tried to figure it out on my own. Yes, I spent time with God but in the next breath I took off to find my own solution. Can you relate?

Receiving

Enter 2019. A new year and a new word.

When God laid the word “receive” on my heart, my first reaction was “are you sure”? I had momentum going from my year of “surrender” and didn’t understand the call to “receive.” Was I supposed to quickly push the brakes and come to a screeching halt?

What doesn’t make sense to me makes perfect sense to God.

God knew that rest was crucial this year. While physical rest is important, God also wanted me to quiet my mind. The last four years have been on “zoom” and God wanted to give me what would fill my body, mind, and soul.

And now that we are approaching October, I can say that I am experiencing new freedom from the surrender and waiting. I have said a lot of “noes” along the way but it feels right.

No to leading a Bible study. No to writing a weekly devotional for another ministry. And, no to taking on anything extra that will pull me away from my family.

Friend–God knows your heart. He hears you, sees you, and knows what you yearn for even before you do. He took the intersection of surrender and waiting and brought freedom. God’s unexpected is the gift of your heart’s cry that you didn’t know you asked for.

I am resting in God’s best for me. Will you join me and reflect on what is listed below?

Maybe part of the solution in the surrender and the waiting is inviting God into every step.

Or maybe, we need to crack open the darkness we carry deep inside for God to shine His light.

Maybe, we are desperate for God as much as He desires to spend time with us.

God is teaching me that at the intersection of surrender and waiting there is freedom. #newpost #TellHisStory #linkup Click To Tweet

What I know is that hanging out with God daily (Psalm 73:28) leaves the door open for my heart to receive God’s goodness. Every good gift comes from God (James 1:17) and He doesn’t break His promises. Ever.

Surrender it all. Rest in the wait. Receive the goodness of God.

Blessings,

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