surrendering...

I subscribe to Rick Warren's daily devotional, which I love. Most of the time I sign up for these things, I eventually unsubscribe. I haven't his yet over the past year because they are usually so insightful and helpful. I loved this one:

Surrender: Let Go and Let God Work
by Rick Warren

Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7 (GWT)

*** *** *** ***

Surrendering your life means:
· Following God’s lead without knowing where he’s sending you;
· Waiting for God’s timing without knowing when it will come;
· Expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide;
· Trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances.

You know you’re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation. You let go and let God work.You don’t have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more.
You also know you’re surrendered when you don’t react to criticism and rush to defend yourself.
Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You are not self-serving, you don’t edge others out, and you don’t demand your rights.

The supreme example of self-surrender is Jesus. The night before his crucifixion Jesus surrendered himself to God’s plan. He prayed, “Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine” (Mark 14:36 NLT).

Jesus didn’t pray, “God, if you’re able to take away this pain, please do so.” He began by affirming that God can do anything! He prayed, “God, if it is in your best interest to remove this suffering, please do so. But if it fulfills your purpose, that’s what I want, too.”

Genuine surrender says, “Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or in another’s life, please don’t take it away!”
This level of maturity doesn’t come easy.In Jesus’ case, he agonized so much over God’s plan that he sweat drops of blood. Surrender is hard work. In our case, it requires intense warfare against our self-centered nature.

It's very difficult and has been in the past for me to do exactly this. I have always been the type of person to try to "make" things happen on my timetable. Trusting and doing nothing while waiting is definitely against my personality. I like results yesterday!

The struggle when finally getting to the point of surrender is an exhausting one. It's "what can I do to do this..."? On and on... trying to make things happen, trying to see the result we want (even at the expense of what is truly best for us), etc... Sometimes we don't even know what is best for us. I'm always trying to remember that everything happens for a reason. God uses those things in our lives for good. I wonder if I'll truly ever learn this lesson rather than struggling for a period of time and then FINALLY releasing it. If I could ever learn to just release it from the beginning, it would save me a lot of heartache.