Raising the WHite Flag

When is it time to raise the White Flag? When is it time to surrender?What are you surrendering? Are you surrendering your hopes and dreams for the time being? Are you surrendering your will to that of God's? Are you giving up?

I often find myself marveling at the wondrousness of our God and His timing. Every aspect of my life has worked out in such a way that it can't be attributed to anything else other than the Mighty Hand of God. I was thinking today about my job and the current benefits I enjoy because of it. My summer class just got paid for, and not by me. Whereas, once I might have taken out a loan, or scrimped and save for a couple months, now I just e-mail the class information and viola! It's paid for. It's that easy. And the cool part is that I will not owe any time once my degree is complete. I would like to stay with NAVSEA for at least a little while, but if God calls me elsewhere then that's where I'll go. But I look back on my job and the decisions I had to make to get there. I had to surrender my will for myself and my hopes and dreams for the prospect of a job that didn't seem like what I needed, or even wanted. Thankfully, someone who knows what's best for me intervened. The past few months have been incredible. Not only have I learned so much, but I'm being entrusted with projects that are above and beyond my scope as an intern. These projects are getting high recognition and are creating an excellent base for a resume once I have a degree to attach along with it.

Going back to surrender. What does it mean to surrender? I may have written a blog post about this a while back but it's something that's been on my heart for a while now.

Surrender - v. a : to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand

This is the current meaning of the word surrender as per dictionary.com. But I think the Bible means it in a different tone entirely. When I think of the word surrender, I think of a gentle submission to the will of God. Meaning that we lay our burdens, hope, fears, dreams etc at His feet as a silent way of saying our lives are His and subject to His will. While that may have a domineering undertone, I certainly don't mean it as such. Sometimes surrender can be as simple as quickly giving the situation over to God...sometimes I also think that surrender can the slowly lifting up your hands, head bowed, tears flowing, offering the "Isaac" of our lives. Something that is so precious and dear, yet consecrated to the Will of God. What we seem to forget, or maybe not realize, is that God's plans all have purpose. We can make timelines for ourselves, for where we think our lives are going and then throw a tantrum when it doesn't go our way. But we forget that maybe our timeline isn't the one that God has in mind for us.. and the more our minds are open to that way of thinking, the easier it is to accept when things don't go our way. I am by no means perfect in this area. I've certainly had my throw of tantrums. But with each tantrum comes that still soft voice reminding me of all the ways He has worked in my life and that it will be ok. I feel closer to Him when I trust him with these precious areas of my life and this trust grows and solidifies when I see the results that are far more wonderful than I could have imagined.

So what's the "Isaac" in your life? What's your white flag that you have to raise? How are you going to surrender it, if you feel that's what you're being called to do? And how will your attitude affect those around you? Will they see the light of Christ shining through? These are all questions I have asked and continue to ask of myself. When I go through rough spots in my life, I want people to see Christ through me - through my actions and through my words. I deeply desire to be a beacon for Christ and I'm afraid that my attitude often reflects the opposite. I let my mood affect my actions and words. I allow negativity to darken the good in these hard situations. But I'm also human and I can't fix these flaws by myself. That's when the immeasurable grace of God kicks in and is able to carry us when we cannot stand any longer. The more we rely on that Grace and Strength that is not our own, the more we're able to look at whatever the situation might be through the eyes of Christ instead of our fallible human ones. I've posted it once and I'll post it again but the following is a collection of verses that have been so poingent for the last several months of my life. I added a couple more about a month ago and I think I'll keep adding onto it ad God places them on my heart.

"Be still, and know that I am God;  For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.  But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

I still love those word:  Be Still. Cease Striving. Stop Wrestling. BE quiet. And KNOW that I AM GOD. Take comfort that He knows what He's doing, He has our best interests at heart and He will never fail us nor forsake us. What a Mighty God we Serve!