Choose Surrender Day 18: Gratitude

"I’ve learned to appreciate the simplicity in my moments. I’ve learned that being thankful in everything is more important than being thankful for something. I want to be grateful for everything in my life, not just the special moments."         ~Sara 'Gitz" Frankl

Being thankful in everything…

Each day of our life is made up of moments. How we choose to look at those moments is a direct reflection of the Joy in our life.

We all have moments when life isn't showing up how we would like. Whatever we may be struggling with, how we choose to look at the moments ultimately determines how we live our life. Our life is precious. It is a gift from God. Living in gratitude and ultimately surrendering our struggles to God is the foundation to creating moments of joy.

So, instead of focusing on what is going wrong, start focusing on what is going right. I may be struggling with my job, but that job has provided a roof over my head and the ability to provide for my family. I may be struggling with my health, but I am still here on earth and have a purpose to fulfill. I may have lost a family member, but I was blessed to have them in my life for the time I did. I may be frustrated with the line at the grocery store, but I am blessed to have food to put on the table.

People will respond to us based on the attitude and perspective we bring to this life. The attitude and perspective that we bring to each new day will create the experience of our moments and ultimately the moments of those we come in contact with.

When we surrender our moments to the one who has the ultimate plan for our life, it will be easier to be thankful in everything, not just the special moments.

Choose Surrender Day 17: The Comma...

Have you ever been walking a path that you have felt God is leading you on, only to find a number of dead ends? How many of us take those dead ends as a "sign" that God doesn't want us to continue the journey?

I have been in those situation several times. What I have learned is that we should "never put a period where God has put a comma. I have learned that those dead ends that we experience in life don't always mean we should end the journey. There may be a detour or a pause in the journey, but not an end...not a period. 

What I have learned is that I need to regularly gift myself with the time and space needed to pause, rest, reflect, and be present with the Lord without distraction. I need this in order for me to know, understand and follow God's path. It requires regular submission and a humble surrender to God.

I have often used the butterfly analogy with my children when they face difficulty. As a parent, when my children struggled and faced times of hitting a dead end, I wanted to fix the situation so they didn't have to hurt and struggle.

A butterfly must struggle out of its cocoon in order for it to eventually fly. If we help the butterfly out of its cocoon and don't allow it to struggle, the butterfly will never fly and it will die. Humans are just like a butterfly...if we constantly fix the dead ends people face instead of allowing them to struggle, they will not grow, flourish and eventually soar in life. 

So when you are feeling a dead end on a journey you believe God is calling you to follow, I encourage you to embrace the struggle. Pause and gift yourself with time to reflect and humbly surrender to God. Pray for the wisdom and patience needed to trust His timing to continue the journey.

Never put a period where God puts a comma...Never end a journey where God is asking you to pause.

Choose Surrender Day 16: Being Brave

"No moment from my God is a rock of burden...it's a rock waiting to be broken apart into stepping stones."

This graphic made by Sara says a lot to me about surrendering. I think there is a fear of surrendering because we are afraid that we won't be brave enough to give up what we want and say yes to what God is asking of us.

The things we want and desire are things that typically fulfill the needs of our ego. Fulfilling the needs of our ego won't fulfill us deep inside...it won't fulfill the needs of our soul. When we only fulfill our needs...the needs of our ego...our joy and satisfaction will only be temporary and will only last for a moment in time. When we surrender our lives to the wants and desires of God, the joy and satisfaction will last a lifetime.

Surrendering is often times what we do as a last resort, a last effort because we are at a loss of what to do next. Surrendering needs to be the first thing we do. We must surrender to God and be willing to accept whatever He desires for us...even if it is not what we desire for ourselves.

Surrender and let go of the weight that you are feeling on your shoulders. The weight is no longer yours to bear. Pray that God will change your heart to what He wants...because no moment from our God is a rock of burden...it's a rock waiting to be broken down into stepping stones.

Surrendering calls us to be brave, but God will always be walking ahead of us to guide us, beside us to befriend us, behind us to encourage us and over us to protect us.

Choose Surrender Day 15: Blessings and Peace

The two songs that spoke to me after dad and Sara passed away were, "Perfect Peace" and "Blessings," written by Laura Story. As I reflect this month on Choose Surrender, these songs came to mind. I think they speak to what it means to surrender to God. 

As you read the words, reflect on Choosing Surrender...

Perfect Peace...

Stay close by My side. Keep your eyes on Me. Though this life is hard. I will give you perfect peace.

In this time of trial. Pain that no one sees. Trust me when I say. That I will give you perfect peace.

And you'll never walk alone. And you'll never be in need. Though I may not calm the storms around you. You can hide in Me.

Burdens that you bear.  Offer no relief. Let Me bear your load. 'Cause I will give you perfect peace.

Blessings...

We pray for blessings. We pray for peace. Comfort for family, protection while we sleep. We pray for healing, for prosperity. We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering. All the while, You hear each spoken need, yet love is way too much to give us lesser things.

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops. What if Your healing comes through tears.
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near. What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise.

We pray for wisdom, your voice to hear. We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near. We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love, as if every promise from Your Word is not enough.
All the while, You hear each desperate plea, and long that we'd have faith to believe.

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win, we know that pain reminds this heart that  this is not our home.

I have learned through the trials in my life that God's blessings are sometimes right in the middle of the pain...in the middle of the hard. God calls us to search for Him...trust in Him...love Him...surrender to Him. This search and surrender leads us to perfect peace with Him.

Choose Surrender day 14: God is Awake

Have courage for the great sorrows in life and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished our daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.     ~Victor Hugo

This was one of Sara's favorite quotes. It filled her with lessons, comfort, knowledge and peace. She said it helped her know how to surrender her life to God.

The quote gave her instructions on how to take action in her life and direction when to let go of the notion that she really had any power at all. What she did have was the courage inside her for when the trials she faced were constantly pounding at her door. It told her she also had the patience she needed at her disposal for those moments in life that were just that - moments - unless we choose to give those moments the power with our own anger or pride or justifications.

Sara said that the quote told her that she would face difficulties daily, that she couldn't run from them or hide inside herself until someone else braved them for her. They were battles for her to fight, her joys to relish, her burdens to face with grace and patience. They were her daily tasks that she had to face and complete. But at the end of the day, because she faced her life for what it was...with courage and patience and reverence for the gift God provided...she was able to go to sleep in peace.

When we surrender our lives to God and finish what He asks of us for the day, we are able to rest without fear and worry. And He never sleeps. He is awake...walking the path we will take tomorrow.

Day 13 Choose Surrender: Walk by Faith

2 Corinthians 5:7 "We walk by faith, not by sight."

Are you willing to follow God wherever He leads you? Is it enough that even if you don't know what lies ahead, He knows?

When I look at my life today, some of my richest blessings came from walking His path even when it wasn't the path I desired...the path I had in mind. I wouldn't have those blessings today if I didn't surrender my heart to Him and walk through the difficulties and pain to get to Him.

Sara tells us in her book, Choose Joy: Finding Hope and Purpose When Life Hurts, that she saw her life as a blessing. If the life she lived and surrendered to God even made a difference in one persons life, she wouldn't want anything else!

Walking by faith requires that we listen and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit and follow the truth of God's word. We choose to live according to what God reveals to us, rather than trusting our own understanding of what the world tells us.

Sara's prayer was that God would change her heart and align it with His. She wanted a heart that would rather serve Him than her own desires. Along the journey are difficulties, but there are also the richest blessings and a heart of joy that makes the experience worth every step.

Day 12 Choose Surrender: Serving Others

In the above video, Alece, Jessica and Matthew provide a beautiful testimony on how Sara served others. Sara was a true example of someone who surrendered their life to God, and I think that is shown in how she loved and served others. Sara surrendered her life to God and because of that, she was able to serve us with her whole mind, heart and soul. 

The greatest commandment God gave to us, was to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this, Love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:30-31)

As I reflect on Mark 12:30-31, I think of Jesus, the greatest servant of us all. He surrendered His life to God in order to fulfill God's perfect will. Surrendering His life through self-sacrifice...death on the cross. This kind of surrender can only be accomplished because of the depth of love in our heart.

Greg Simas says, "the devotion of our hearts is determined by wherever we find value as our greatest treasure." Matthew 6:21 tells us for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus just gave us the answer on how to love God with all our hearts. The heart loves what it treasures! 

The treasure in Sara's heart was God and others.