SURRENDER DOROTHY!
KEY SCRIPTURE: You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names. ~ Philippians 2:5-9 (NLT)
Surrender.
I don’t know about you, but I HATE that word.
It always makes me think of the wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz, skywriting on her broom, “Surrender Dorothy!” with a wicked cackle.
Or Kevin Costner at the beginning of Dances with Wolves, riding in front of the enemy, arms spread wide, eyes closed, head back, just waiting for (and wanting!) death to come.
The idea of giving up or giving in goes against every fiber of my being.
In my mind I know “surrendering” to God is completely different… I “know” I’m not surrendering to something evil like the wicked Witch of the West, nor am I just giving up and waiting to die like Kevin Costner, NOR am I just doing nothing… like I’ve checked the box and “gave my life to Jesus” now I’m just sitting back and waiting for Him to come back and rescue me from this life or the world.
But even knowing all of this… it’s still really, REALLY hard for me.
Because surrender actually means trust.
And trusting is really, REALLY hard.
To surrender our life to God means we TRUST God.
EVEN when it’s hard.
EVEN when HIS way is NOT our way.
And that’s when it’s HARDEST for me. When I want something, really, REALLY badly, and He says, “No.”
For no apparent reason.
Do I trust Him?? Do I trust that He has my best in mind? Or do I only focus on what I’ve lost?
It’s like a toddler whose ball has rolled into the street. They really, REALLY want to go get the ball, and they start running after it, but Daddy says, “NO!” and swoops the child up before they reach the curb. Just at that moment, a semi truck runs over the ball and flattens it. The child is horrified that their ball is destroyed, and furious that Daddy didn’t let them go get it… completely OBLIVIOUS to the fact that THEY would have been flattened as well! The idea of death doesn’t even register in the little mind of a 2 year old… they’re simply consumed with the loss of their ball, and wailing as if they HAD been hit by a truck!
Oh, how I am SO like that little child!!! Completely oblivious to what God has saved me from, and instead completely focused on what I didn’t get, or lost, or had to give up!
Something I see ALL the time, (and something I’ve done for most of my life!) is not wanting to let go of (surrender!) something God has asked me to give up.
Like, I don’t want to quit this job, (even though it’s a toxic environment, and the hours are killing me, and I HATE it and have NO peace about staying another moment!) because I’m AFRAID it’s the best thing I’ll ever get, or won’t be able to get another job with similar pay or benefits or this close to home or blah blah blah…
Or, I don’t want to leave this relationship, (even though it’s abusive and draining, and completely co-dependent and unhealthy and I have NO peace about staying another moment!) because I’m AFRAID of being alone… for even a moment, not to mention for the rest of my life!
Or, my roommates are drinking and/or doing drugs and are loud and rude and messy and I HATE living here, (and have NO peace about staying another moment!) but I don’t want to move because moving is hard and I’m AFRAID I may not find another place, or one with a yard, or one with good rent, or one in a good location or blah blah blah.
Basically, this is saying I don’t TRUST that God is good and that He has GOOD things planned for me AND that He will take care of me in HIS way and in HIS timing.
I want things MY way RIGHT NOW!!!
What I have learned, (the hard, hard, HARD way!) is that God WANTS to give me good things, but He can’t hand me something AWESOME if I refuse to let go of the YUCK I’m holding on to…
And the same goes for you! God can’t give you something amazing if you’re holding on to something that’s NOT amazing, or at the very least it’s way way way LESS amazing than what He would have for you!
It wasn’t until I trusted God and quit that hateful job did I find a job that was more in alignment with the skills (and desires of my heart!) that God has given me, and now I love what I do.
It wasn’t until I faced the fear of being alone for the rest of my life, trusted God, and left the destructive relationships behind me, did I find the true love of my life.
It wasn’t until I trusted God, adhered to a strict budget, moved out on my own and left the environment of chaos and catastrophe I was living in that I found roommates that weren’t toxic and abusive.
And there are a gazillion other examples I could give you of how my life has completely changed - and continues to change - as I learn to surrender and trust His way instead of my own. Trust that HE knows what is best. Because HE sees the bigger picture.
But, this is exactly WHY He asks us to surrender our life. It’s WHY He said if we want to save our life we would lose it. (John 12:25) It’s WHY He tells us to lay down our life. (Matthew 16:24) It’s so our hands will be free to pick up the life that HE has for us.
Paul is a great example of this kind of surrender. He was (and WANTED to be!) a Pharisee. An amazing religious leader. However, it wasn’t until AFTER his surrender to Christ that he became WAY more of a “religious leader” than he EVER could have been had he clung to what HE thought was best. He’s been dead for like 2,000 years and he’s STILL leading people to Jesus!!!
And, of course, Jesus is the best example of this.
He surrendered HIS will for His Father’s. (Luke 22:42) He willingly gave up His life SO He could take it back up again. (John 10:18) He endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. (Hebrews 12:2) He gave up what He HAD for what He would receive in the future. And now He is seated at the right hand of God. He surrendered ALL. For us. So that we could be with Him, forever. (John 3:16-17)
He asks us to give up what little we have - even when we think it’s EVERYTHING (Mark 10:17-27) - to receive His life for us. Life to the full. (John 10:10) Both now AND in heaven.
And this is SUPER scary, because He doesn’t give us all (or any!) details about what the future will look like if we surrender to His will. Because just like the 2 year old with the ball, where we are NOW cannot comprehend the bigger picture that is the future. So God, in His wisdom and mercy, DOESN’T show us. He just asks us to trust Him, and walk with Him, and when we get to that future time we couldn’t have comprehended when we first surrendered, it will be clear when we get there… AND we will have everything we need because HE is with us. (Psalm 9:10)
God doesn’t ask us to give up everything. He asks us to give up whatever is keeping us from a deeper relationship with Him, which sometimes FEELS like everything! He asks us to surrender our desires for His. Our dreams for His. Our life for the one HE created for us.
Which is ALWAYS way, way, WAY more abundant than what we EVER could have imagined.
So we pray… Abba, please help us remember that when You ask us to give something up it’s because You have something better You want to give us, and that when You’re calling us to surrender You’re actually saying, “Trust Me, I love you!” … which is very, VERY different from “Surrender Dorothy!”
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
SCRIPTURES
Philippians 2:5-9 ~ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names. (NLT)
John 12:25 ~ The one who loves his [a]life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. (NASB)
Matthew 16:24 ~ Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]. (AMPC)
Luke 22:42 ~ Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done. (NIV)
John 10:18 ~ No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded. (NLT)
Hebrews 12:2 ~ For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
John 3:16-17 ~ For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. (NET)
Mark 10:17-27 ~ Story of the rich young ruler… (NASB)
John 10:10 ~ The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest. (CEB)
Psalm 9:10 ~ And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. (NKJV)
Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (ESV)