Stop Stressing, Start Surrendering

Peace is hard to find these days.

 

It seems like, more than ever, there is an absence of peace in the world, in our nation, in our communities, in our families, and even in ourselves.

 

Where did it go?

Why are anxiety and depression so prevalent?

Why are we so afraid of what’s happening around us?

Why are we so “triggered” by the things other people say and believe?

Why is it so hard to have a calm, rational discussion without emotions taking over?

How do we process everything that is going on in our world?

How are we supposed to live like this?

 

If we want peace, we need to stop holding on so tightly. 

We need to stop stressing and start surrendering.

 

To the world, peace looks like having everything you want, never having to struggle with anything, everyone agreeing with your opinions, never having conflict, no stress, living life to the fullest every day.

 

You know, Jesus has a real talent for flipping our worldly views on their heads, for turning over our tables to get our priorities in order.

 

His version of peace is very different. His version looks like breaking the chains of sin that are keeping us bound up and ineffective as Christians. His version looks like finding our way to freedom from fear, shame, rejection. It looks like healing from anxiety, depression, and the hurts from our past. It has nothing to do with the world around us, but everything to do with His Spirit within us. 

 

Although His version takes some work to achieve, it’s not work that we can do on our own. It takes cooperation with His supernatural intervention. It’s giving Him permission to clear out the clutter and fill us with light.

 

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.  John 10:10

 

There is a very real enemy who distracts us by telling us we need to look calm, cool, collected, and like we have everything figured out.  And that usually comes with lots of pressure to perform a certain way, to talk a certain way, to pretend that we have it all together and know all the answers.

 

Jesus wants us to have true peace, not just look like we do. He wants to give us a peace that is permanent, no matter what is going on around us.

 

And for that to happen–not in the world’s view, but in Jesus’ view– we need to bow down, surrender, submit, sacrifice, give up our will–our wants, our plans, the things we think need to happen, the things we think would be for the best.

 

We’ve been conditioned to think that bowing down, surrendering, and submitting mean that we lost the game. We’ve been conquered. We’re helpless, hopeless even. Our lives will be miserable, meaningless, and full of despair.

 

This is where we need a new outlook, a whole new vision, a renewing of the mind.

 

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2 

 

We need to change the way we think about surrender.

 

That surrendered position, bowed down before the Lord, is not a place of humiliation, or shame, or unworthiness. It’s actually a place of preparation, and empowering, and receiving the lavish love that the Lord wants to pour out on us. It’s a position of peace.

 

Understand therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.  Deuteronomy 7:9

 

God can’t lift an unbowed head. He can’t prepare you, empower you, or lavish His love on you if you think you’re doing just fine on your own and don’t need it.

 

When we are striving to achieve peace on our own, on our own terms, under our own strength, we might say that Jesus is the one who’s backing us up. We might even say that He’s the one we’re leaning on, the one who’s helping us achieve what we want to do.

 

I lived most of my life that way.

 

I wasn’t denying that He was there, I wasn’t denying that He was part of what I was doing. I was even giving Him some of the credit.

 

But I wasn’t actually asking His opinion, or if I did ask, I wasn’t actually waiting or listening for an answer. I was asking for help, and then deciding on my own what to do. I was making plans and asking God to bless them, forgetting that God does not exist to bless my plans, I exist to fulfill His.

 

I was working so hard to look like a strong, independent, faithful woman to everyone else, like I had everything figured out and under control, like my life was just fine. But behind closed doors I was drowning, and I was missing out on the peace that He wanted for me.

 

I was holding on so tightly to the things that I thought would satisfy me–the things that I thought would bring me peace and joy. But with my hands in a death grip around the things I wanted so badly, there was no room in my hands for the Lord to give me what I needed.

 

I needed to open my hands and let go of what I was so sure was the answer…and that was terrifying. I was sure that if I loosened my grip everything would fly apart, and my world would spin out of control.

 

But you know what? It didn’t.

 

This world has nowhere that we can put our stress, our worry, our anxiety, our fears, our insecurities, and be confident they will be taken away. We try though, don’t we?

We shove them down deep inside so no one else can see them. We curl up with them at night, nurture them, and then try to hide them under the covers in the morning. We throw them at our family and friends to try to get rid of them. We shout about them on social media. But nothing really seems to work.

 

So what’s the answer? SURRENDER.

 

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

 

There is only One who we can trust with all of our “stuff”. When we start to uncurl our fists to let Jesus see what we’re clinging to, He gently opens His hands so we can hand it over. He lays it aside so we can give Him the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing…until our hands are empty.

 

This is surrender. It’s not shame, it’s not humiliation, it’s not hopeless, helpless, or worthless. It’s love…faithful, unconditional, perfect love. It’s pouring out everything that’s weighing us down, to the One who can lift us up.

 

And into our empty hands He pours peace, and joy, and blessings. He pours strength, and hope, and confidence. He pours the Holy Spirit to guide us, wisdom to direct us, insight to light our way.

 

Surrender is not giving up who we are, it is becoming who we were made to be–full of peace and confident hope, anchored in the storms of life, secure in His love.