Sweet Surrender: What If My Own Plans Get Interrupted?

What does it feel like, charting your own course, and then suddenly an eastern wind blows, swaying you into a different?

Confused? Unhappy? Questioning?

God: “Dear girl, your relationship with that guy is dangerous and so you’ll have to cut off from him”.

Girl: “But God I love him so much and won’t want to lose him…”

Girl: “Oh God, I love this guy so much and would want to marry him”.

God: “No daughter, he’s not your husband, I have someone else for you…”

“God, I want to go do this, and that…, and move over to that other place”. Then you get this nudge that says – “no dear, this is what I’ll have you do/where I’ll have you be”.

Or like myself, sitting and setting up this health blog to go drop my little knowledge and experience, then few minutes after that, faced with this startling discovery that had God asking me – “How about this, will you then go and write biblical femininity to my young women?”

My writing boat changed path immediately! (Till I get the next instruction…)

Sometimes, you come to this point in your life decisions in which the last thing you want to do is – surrender. Change from what I desire to what someone else wants from me, my own plans getting interrupted; not sweet at all!

I know how you really feel because I’ve been, at different times, right in the middle of that.

So with all the confusions and questions, surrender could really seem to – sulk! Right?

But you don’t want to go through life sulking and bitter?

Because you know, if you are a child of God (and you can’t afford not to be one), you’ve got to live a life of constant, complete surrender.

And friend do you know, a life of surrender is really SWEET!

Let’s go and unpack it…

Surrender! What does it really mean?

To surrender means to give oneself up into the power of another; submission; abandonment.

Just like the young girl, betrothed to her sweetheart and eagerly waiting for the time their marriage will be consummated, and then she’ll fly off with her prince charming to go live happily ever after.

Then came this stranger with this strange news – “You’ll be pregnant”.

“But I know not a man”.

“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee…”

Questions possibly running through her mind – “What will my dear love say? He’ll simply put me away. I got pregnant before our marriage. What would people say…”

But all she said was – “Behold the handmaid (servant, slave) of the Lord: be it unto me according to thy word”. (Lk 1: 26-38)

She was willing to let go of her reputation, plans and desires to do the will of God.

Mary! What a young woman! A true picture of a heart that surrenders all…

Why give up my own plans to – Surrender?

• Your life is not your own. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”. (1 Corinth 6: 19,20)
• You are limited in knowledge and foresight. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”. (Isaiah 55: 8,9)
• You want to follow Christ? Then you must live a life of surrender. If any man will come after me. “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”. (Mtt 16:24)
• You have a life purpose that can’t be fulfilled without you surrendering to God’s will and plan. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”  (Jere 29:11)

Is surrender really sweet?

Oh, you could ask that again.

Mary will simply scream from her mansion in heaven, “YES sis, it is”. Without that, I wouldn’t have the privilege of being remembered as the mother of our Lord, JESUS. I would have passed through this world as just a “nobody” – no record, no remembrance, no reckoning, and no reward. In fact who knows, I might not even be in heaven now.

I’m sure every other great woman in the bible and contemporary times also joins the YES chorus. Even my humble self shouts YES, for one – I’m writing this to inspire and encourage you to live out biblical femininity, and I’m really happy, fulfilled and blessed doing that.

Not to talk about the all-round blessings and provision we receive from God here, nor the resounding applause and reward we’ll receive when we arrive the grand stands of heaven.

All because of a life of surrender…

But you know, at that very moment, it may be sour in your mouth; but let it go down your throat and into your body, it will do you so much good than you ever thought of.

Not just that, also in the sight of God, it is a sweet savour (Lev 1:9).

The book of Leviticus is a book about sacrifices, consecration, offerings. In the first chapter, it talks about burnt offerings – the sacrifice should be done voluntarily, and the animals to be sacrificed without blemish, and shall be all burnt on the altar.

Such sacrifice is considered a sweet savour (pleasing aroma) unto the Lord. The Lord is pleased and happy when you offer your all voluntarily and blemish-free unto Him.

Don’t you want Him to be pleased with you?

What do I then surrender?

1. Your Past: Past life of sin, fears, disappointment, bitterness… Bring them all to Jesus. (Mtt 11: 28-30)
2. You Present: Talents, time treasure… Give all you’ve got to the Lord. No matter how small or insignificant you think it is – like the widows mite (Mk 12: 41-44).
3. Your future: Plans, desires, aspirations, dreams, goals… He knows better, and has something bigger in His plan for you. (Psalm 3: 5,6)

So dear friend, like this beautiful song says –

When God has another plan,

Walk on and just say YES,

When God has another plan

Be assured that He knows best,

When all your dreams are shattered

Rest in His sufficient grace

We don’t have to understand…

When God has another plan.

Remain Radiant!