When you’re a kid, playing army, mud ball fights, or one on one basketball, there comes a point when there’s a clear winner. The opposing side must, willingly or not, acknowledge defeat and surrender.
But we’re not kids anymore, and we have real battles to fight. We have family issues. We have job problems. We have financial concerns. Sometimes it’s tempting to throw in the towel. It would be easy to just give up. Surrender. Nobody would blame you.
But you don’t have to.
You’ve got a ringer. Maybe you didn’t even notice. Maybe you knew and you forgot. Maybe you felt at times you didn’t need help.
The help available doesn’t really even need you.
All you have to do is let him play. Let him call the shots. Follow his lead and play your best game. You can’t lose. Even if you lose a battle occasionally, you won’t lose the war.
You probably see where this is going. Let God lead. Don’t surrender the game. Surrender to Him. He’s best at it anyway. After all, He’s perfect. And you can’t get better than perfect.
Most of us know He’s on our side. We know He’s available. We know He’s willing to handle every challenge on our behalf. The problem is, we forget.
We forget to call on Him. We forget to talk to Him about our game plan. We forget we need Him.
Life is often so routine. The daily grind becomes an auto-pilot merry go round with the same scenery, the same situations, the same outcomes.
Then the unexpected happens.
You need help. You can’t go it alone. But you haven’t been in touch with your advocate. Your relationship isn’t up to date, and calling on Him now can feel forced. Awkward. Disingenuous.
It’s not easy giving Him the reigns. That means He’s in control. Of EVERYTHING.
We can give Him parts. We can even give Him most. But it’s so difficult to relinquish the whole package.
This is where that word comes in again. Surrender.
Surrender your will. Surrender your time. Surrender everything you love. Even your very life. It’s all His anyway.
If you house-sat for a friend, you’d be sure to treat it with gentle loving care. You’d give it a little extra. You’d make a point to leave it in better condition than you found it.
Think of your life in the same way. Your life is not your own. You were bought at a price! SO, honor God with your body. Honor Him with your time. Honor Him with your possessions.
The only way this really works is in the daily routine. The Merry Go Round has to include Him. In fact it has to start with Him and end with Him.
The more control you surrender to Him, the less you’ll want control.
It’s counter intuitive. It would seem giving away the steering wheel would cause your life to go into a tailspin. But it’s just the opposite.
The funny part is, you can’t often see it in action. Many times it’s only apparent after the fact.
And after the smoke has cleared, you’ll find the enemy has surrendered.
Ironically, because you surrendered.