I've mentioned before that I will have guest writers on my blog from time to time and I've finally decided to make a go for it. Now I have one guest writer to start it off.
How often have we seen ourselves in this situation? Something pops into our heads and we immediately think "Yes! That's it! That's exactly what I want (or want to do)!" It could be a new job, a new car, or even something as life changing as moving to another country or getting married.
So, we set out minds to it. We focus intensely on it and we pursue our plan to the ends of the earth only to find one obstacle after another. Then, we stop and ask ourselves questions like "why is this happening?", "why is it not working out?" and "what am i doing wrong?"
Part of being who we are involves a little bit of stubbornness. We think we know what to do, where to go, how things work , how we can "beat the system" and make something work the way we want it to. We keep trying hoping that it will work. Sometimes, it does; sometimes, it doesn't.
When we have tried everything and things don't turn out the way we expected them to, that is the only time we throw up our hands and realize that, perhaps, what we are doing is not what God intended for us.
Then, we "surrender to God's will". It is something most of us resort to when we face defeat.
Does it really have to be this way? Does "surrender" always have to be associated with "defeat"?
I don't think so.
I would like to offer a different way of looking at it: do you remember what it was like when, as a child, we simply let our parents make the key decisions in our life? We look at them with our eyes, bright and smiling, and ask them questions like "where are we going today?" "what are we doing this weekend?"
When we were children, we often let our parents decide for us. Why? Simple: we knew that they loved us and that anything they did was out of their love for us. It was because of this that we, as children, "surrendered" our will to our parents.
The same is true with God. He is, after all, our Heavenly Father.
When we say that we "surrender to His will", I would like to look at it in the same way as a child subordinates his will to that of his earthly parents, without any of the stubbornness, reluctance or feeling of defeat that we, as adults, often feel when we do this.
Surrendering to God's will doesn't have to mean "defeat". "Surrendering" simply means letting Him take over. I see it as recognising the limitations of our minds, of our capabilities, and of our understanding. I see it as affirming that His wisdom is superior to ours and that His plans for us are far better than any plan that we can think of.
So, think of yourself as God's child and ask Him, "Heavenly Father, what are your plans for me? What would you like me to do today?" and trust God when He says that His plan is the best one for you. After all, isn't that 'Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven" means?
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