SURRENDER

Hey Sister,

How are you? What has been racing through your mind? What has kept you up crying at night? Are you afraid of the future? Are you afraid your doubts will become facts? Are you anxious, exhausted, and overwhelmed with worry? (Breathe) My dear sisters, I know those feelings oh so well. I know the feelings of hopelessness. Would you believe me if I told you that hopelessness has a voice? It will speak to you every night until it has convinced you that you will not see the hand of God at work. It will convince you that there is nothing to live or strive for. Sometimes, it will not even wait until the night hour. It will quietly whisper in your ear throughout the day until it has completely muted the voice of God. My dear sisters, we have a father who loves us and invites us to rest in Him. His voice resounds louder than anything, yet it’s so subtle it can be easily missed. Can I invite you today to surrender all of what you're feeling unto God? That feeling of uncertainty, not feeling good enough, pretty enough, smart enough or worthy enough? And yes, even that hidden sin. Surrender it.  I get it, sometimes we hang on to our pain for so long it almost seems unnatural to let it go. One of the hardest things for me to do was allowing God to heal me from the pain of having two miscarriages. It almost felt unnatural to move forward. But God doesn’t want me dwelling in my pain. Instead, He wants me embracing my healing.  It doesn’t mean I've forgotten it happened. It simply means that every day I embrace his healing over my heart so that I’ll have the strength to reach for what lies ahead.  As I strive to do God’s will, fear is never far away. It always tells me that I will never be a mother and that I will never fully mature into the woman God has called me to be. Honestly, sometimes I almost want to believe it. Why? Because giving in to doubt is always easier than grasping the complexity of faith. That tiny mustard seed of faith almost seems impossible to attain, when you’ve tried and tried but continue to fail. The thing about fear and faith is that the more you move forward even after having failed, the more your faith grows. Action tramples fear and feeds faith. The more we move forward, the stronger we become.  Matthew 11:28- 30 (MSG) says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Getaway with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me to watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Hey sister, Jesus is inviting you to rest. The more you ignore His call the more unsettling you’ll become. So, today take two minutes with me and lay it all down.  Will you pray with me? Father, help me find rest in you and quiet my mind. Remove all feelings of fear, uncertainty, uneasiness, inadequacy, and fear. I surrender my heart to you Father, please help me find you not only in the joyous moments of my life, but when I am experiencing failure and disappointment. Thank you for loving me, caring for me and giving me rest. I surrender my heart and my mind. Holy Spirit, please comfort me and give me the peace I need to think and respond with a clear and sound mind. Jesus, thank you for understanding our weaknesses, for you faced all of the same testings we do. Thank you for giving me peace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Love, Zuleika