Surrender

‘None of us surrenders just once, or ever quite surrenders all. On this side of eternity, we will never be done with surrender because it’s not a one-time decision for us. It’s a commitment to a lifestyle. Every day will bring us a new opportunity to offer our surrender to God and to let something go. And we’ll keep on giving over to God things we thought we released to him fully once-and-for-all but didn’t. Not because we didn’t want to--because we couldn’t yet.'
(I Give Up: The Secret Joy of a Surrendered Life, 5 day devotional study plan by Laura Story)

Surrender is not easy. It is an action, a posture that does not come naturally. I think most of us like to hold tight to what we have in this life, what we have accomplished, what we have worked so hard to achieve. Even after we find new life in Christ, and as we navigate this journey of life in faith, it is difficult to fully trust and give over everything to our God. It is a necessary daily release we must adopt, and as quoted above “it’s a commitment to a lifestyle”. My word, I look back at the way I have behaved in so many experiences…I was holding on with white knuckled grip to what I thought was rightfully mine! When life is difficult, and it doesn’t go exactly the way we had hoped and dreamed it would, we can very quickly get stuck in a rut. The rut can get comfy if we let it. The key here is to acknowledge what we cannot handle, what is beyond our control and release it. When we choose surrender, then we can move forward. Then, we can know and experience the full blessing that is ours in Christ. Our circumstances may not change for a time, but we must change in order to grow and know His full and complete purpose for our lives.

Disappointment is certain, but not final. People will fail us, but God will not. The joy of the Lord is our strength, He is our shield, He upholds us with His righteous right hand….I know I am mashing together several scriptures there, but oh the depths of His love and abundant blessings for us!

Life hits so hard, surrender is the last thing on my mind, and my reaction is often anger and frustration, I just want to shove my way through it to the other side and throw my hands up in victory! But, I am finding that’s not always the best way to respond. I need more humility, more patience, I need to release my grip and surrender to God’s authority over all things. He is a good Father, a just God, and a loving Savior. I need to trust Him more, and set myself in a posture of surrender to Him daily. Some days I just don’t do that well, I fail miserably. I am thankful for the reminder that His mercies are new every morning. That is a promise I cling to and claim gladly every single day.

As 2019 comes to a close, I am feeling a mixture of sheer exhaustion and overwhelming gratitude. Ryan and I are in the midst of a transition, for which we would greatly appreciate your prayers. He is making great progress toward his Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology at MSU, just celebrated 7 years with O’Reilly Corporate Office as an Accounts Specialist, and coming to a close on his position as Worship Pastor at Story Church. We are incredibly thankful and blessed to have served at Story, the community and the fellowship of believers has been such a comfort and a joy to our family. We are seeking, praying, exploring new opportunities in the area and looking forward to what God has in store for us next in worship ministry. I am about to celebrate 3 years in February 2020 at MU Springfield Clinical Campus, and so thankful for my position there with the team. It has been such a great program to be part of, seeing and supporting our up and coming future physicians. Rylee is making great progress toward her Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education to eventually teach High School English. She has worked very hard, accomplished so much and we cannot wait to see her graduate and step into what she is most passionate about doing with her life. Bailey just finished his first semester as a Vocal Performance/Opera student at MSU working toward his Bachelor’s Degree. AJ and Chloe are both staying busy with their studies in Willard Schools, 9th grade and 3rd grade, and as of today they are officially on Christmas Break. After the activities and the schedules of the semester have ceased, and it is just the 6 of us at home, I can think of no better way to describe it than Mama’s joy.

I am thankful for the journey, how far we have come and look forward to what is yet ahead. I am thankful my children know they are loved, that they love the Lord and share that love with their friends. I am thankful for my husband Ryan, his love for the Lord, his love and commitment to this family, his determination to finish what he started and his heart’s cry and calling for worship ministry. As our family prepares for the Christmas season and the New Year, please join us in praying for these three things to abound:

Faith, Hope and Love……..the greatest of these is Love!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Freeman family to yours!

(Scripture references: Psalm 28:7, Isaiah 41:10, 1 Corinthians 13:13)