I Surrender….All?

I’m a planner. I like to know what is going to happen in advance and be ready. To me, a curveball should stay in baseball.

Knowing I am not going back to my part time job next school year, I decided in the fall to start saving some money. I had built up quite a stash in a drawer. That made me feel safe and better about the unknown. This way, if the right job doesn’t come up in August, I am prepared, right?

Well, the other night I heard a voice in my head say to give that money away. Say what? It wasn’t a ton, but I had worked hard to save it. It made me less nervous about being jobless again. And besides, we are supposed to save and be prepared. I wasn’t doing anything wrong!

So, Sunday morning, I put all those bills in the offering at church, marked for our building fund. We are thisclose to paying off the mortgage at NorthStar and having money freed up for doing even more in the community. We can’t wait! Once this money was out of my hands, I kind of felt relieved. It no longer had a hold on me.

The reason I am telling you this is not so you think I am generous or that we are rich. It is to remind you not to put your trust in anything but God. There are many things in this world that can start out good but turn bad with the wrong intentions. When I started feeling more security from that money than from God, it had to go.

It can be easy to forget that God has done big things in our lives and wants to do more. Three years ago, He brought the right job to me at just the right time. Why do I think He won’t do it again? And if the right one doesn’t come at the beginning of August, He will take care of us way better than a little saved money ever could. If I don’t give God the chance to provide for me, He won’t get the glory.

1 Timothy 6 has a fantastic passage. Verse 17 says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”  As soon as I started putting my hope in wealth, it began to control me.

Speaking of control, when I think I have control, it is an illusion. Anything can happen, good or bad. This can be financial, job or health related, or involve my family. Really, things can and will happen in any area of my life. Building up my faith in God is the key to weathering any storm.

At the end of the day, it is more important for me to please God than be ready for a future I don’t know. It is more important to be in the center of His will than out on my own. It is more important to give what He asks than assume I have all the answers. I don’t, but He does. I have to be willing to surrender whatever is asked of me. Is there something you need to give up, so it doesn’t control you?

Linking with Holley Gerth