Trusting God (Part 4): When Surrender Becomes Something Beautiful

Photo by Jared Erondu on Unsplash

Often, we are tempted to think that surrender is a dirty word. No one wants to give up their rights, their freedom to choose, their opinions of what’s best for them. After all, for those of us in the Western world, our lives revolve around ourselves – we pride ourselves in our accomplishments, in having the freedom to live our lives in whatever way we choose. We revel in our autonomy, and we hate even the thought of surrendering any part of ourselves. This attitude permeates our entire culture and affects every aspect of our relationships. But what does it actually accomplish? Absolutely nothing. Instead of the American dream of a couple with 2.5 kids living in a house with a white picket fence, there is painful tragedy as marriages crumble and children are caught in the middle of the divorce proceedings as their autonomous parents attempt to divide up their assets. Instead of people having the opportunity climb up the economic ladder, employees are bullied all for the sake of the management “getting ahead” while everyone else is left in the dust. Instead of love and faithfulness and grace exemplified in relationships between men and women, there is heartache and drama and baggage. I could go on.

But what if we have all been wrong? What if surrender is not something hideous, but is in fact, beautiful? What if laying one’s autonomous tendencies down led to true freedom? What if sacrificial love for others was the norm? What if following God’s way was the choice we all made?

These questions have been floating around my mind for a while in some form or another, but especially in the last few days as I have pondered some conversations I have had of late. In the course of these conversations, I have come to realize the profound significance of choices that I made years ago – decisions that I made to surrender to God’s way rather than the way the world told me to go. Granted, I have certainly made mistakes along the way, but on the whole, I believe my life has turned out to be better because of the choices I made.

About ten years ago, at the age of fifteen, I looked around at my peers and the choices they were making and I had an intense feeling of dissatisfaction. I saw the girls in my youth group dating guys who were insincere, or at the least immature, in their faith. I saw young couples date for a little while, break up, date other people, and then get back together only to break up again. I saw so much drama it made me sick to my stomach. And I did not want any of that to be present in my life. So, I made a choice. I got down on my knees beside my bed and I prayed. I said, in effect, “Lord, I do not want the heartache and the drama. When I get married, I don’t want to have to admit that my past is full of crap. I want my life to be lived Your way. And I don’t want to date until it is in Your timing.” Of course, I did not expect at the time that I would end up being twenty-five years old, still single, having never even been asked out on a date!

It could be discouraging to dwell on the fact that the Lord’s timing has not yet come, and I will admit that I have had plenty of moments in which I have wondered if my decision to trust the Lord was really what I wanted. But, I have come to see that though I did not know at fifteen years of age where that choice would lead, it was still the best (and wisest) choice I could have made. Have I avoided heartache and drama completely? No. But, I have managed to steer clear of much of the problems I could have had and I have learned a lot of lessons while managing to keep my emotional baggage to a minimum. I have had the opportunity to learn from observing the lives of others, conversing with people who are older and wiser than I and reading tons of articles and books on the topic of marriage and relationships, rather than learning solely from the “school of hard knocks.” Most of all, I have learned how to trust God more and to remain faithful in following His lead.

It has not been easy to live out the trust that I placed in the Lord a decade ago, but as I converse with other women and young girls, I realize more and more that the work God has been doing in my life as a result of that choice and the decisions I have made along the way has not been solely for my benefit. It has become a testament to the Lord as He has remained faithful to answering my prayer, an encouragement to other women as they see how God has been working in my life, and a challenge to young women who have not yet made that same choice. Never would I have dreamed that a decision I made for my own benefit would have the far reaching effects that it has – and that is all to the glory of God. My surrender has become something incredibly beautiful.

My friends, the decisions we make do not just impact ourselves. Our choices impact the people around us and will continue to do so throughout our lives. We have to decide whether our autonomy is really all that matters or if surrendering to God’s plan is what will make our lives truly beautiful. I believe that it is in surrendering to the Lord and trusting in Him that we find life – and one that is worth living. Time and time again, God’s Word tells us that the Lord is trustworthy and that surrendering to His will is the wisest course of action. It is in our surrender that God creates something beautiful.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.”

~ Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

(Trusting God: Part 5)

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