Our
culture constantly encourages us to fight … to fight illnesses, fight social
injustices, fight animal abuse or extinction, fight to protect our children
like a mother bear, etc. I used to follow this line of reasoning too.
I
was the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" who escaped from the Titanic's fatal
fate. I pulled myself up by my "bootstraps" with every trial that
occurred in my life. I also fought any circumstance or person that threatened
my security or well-being in any way.
I
never gave up, and I thought I was achieving something necessary for my
survival. My trials kept getting worse, however, and harder to overcome. I was not
always successful, and I lost many battles in which I valiantly resisted the
evident outcome.
Then,
the biggest battle of all occurred in my life. My former husband decided there
was no option for us but divorce. There was no changing his mind. I did not
hear from him for 18 months after we separated. Our children said he was
pursuing his education and dating other people. I did not know how to fight
that.
God
provided for my every need during this time. He proved Himself to me as a
faithful "husband" (Isaiah 54:5). He nurtured and comforted my soul,
protected and provided for me physically, gave me His wisdom and grace, and
continued to draw my spirit ever closer in intimate fellowship with Him.
I
continued to fight defeat in other areas of my life, such as my job situation,
my housing arrangements, my lack of a vehicle, etc. I worked three jobs to pay
my bills and to save for the inevitable rainy day. Then, I had a car wreck that
broke me, not only my body, but my soul as well.
God
continued to provide for me by taking away all physical pain from the accident,
great insurance that helped to pay the medical bills, and supportive friends
and family. With a fragmented body and soul, I sat in the "ash heap"
of my life (Job 46:6).
For
the first time, I learned that it takes more courage to surrender than to
fight. I turned everything in my life over to God. I stopped treading to keep
my head above water. I just floated. I let God decide where His currents would
take me, and what lay under the surface of the water that would attack me next.
I
surrendered totally and completely to my Father God. He started to show me the
miracles that He planted in every single trial that I ever experienced - even
divorce and a devastating car wreck. This started a whole new adventure for me,
an entirely different walk in faith, and a deeper intimacy with God than I ever
imagined was possible.
Prayer:
Father
God, life is full or troubles and trials, and I finally realized that You use
these negative aspects to prove Your love for us. They make us more complete
when we surrender totally to Your will. They mature us spiritually when we
embrace them, instead of fighting them. We see Your hand in each one, growing
our faith in Your faithfulness (Romans 8:28).
Jesus
promised that we would have tribulation in this world (John 16:33), but then He
encouraged us to be joyful in all things. That sounds like an oxymoron to the
human ear, but You taught me that it is actually the recipe for success.
Complete surrender to Your will in our life reduces our stress level. Keeping
our focus on You, and not on our circumstances, brings us great joy. You always
have our best interest in mind, and we trust in You alone.
Thought
for the Day:
When
we look around at our life, we can get discouraged, but when we focus our
thoughts only on the Lord, rather than on our circumstances, we have victory;
even if a trial kills us, we still win, because we are immediately in the
presence of our God and King.
-
Isaiah 26:3; 2 Corinthians 5:8
