It’s almost end of January… my 2015 “WORD” has been a long time coming!
But it’s here with a vehemence now. Born out of suffering… nurtured by Scripture’s solid surround… and struggling with my oh-so fragile human limitations. And maybe that’s your story as well?
My “go-to” WORD inspiration for the upcoming year (what’s left of it)… is “surrender.” Sounds simple enough: simply surrender. As, in the countless times I stifled a yawn while singing, “I Surrender All”.
(Kelowna, British Columbia)
Reflecting on my past year’s storms, hurricanes, and in general downpours of all sizes – from home exodus to relocation, healthy and fit to stage 3 cancer, and relating family to alienation and abandonment… I’m thinking I could have used “surrender” much earlier. But then, reflecting deeper, perhaps that is where the call to surrender was birthed. Once again, in the crucible of suffering.
As Believers we often pay lip-service to the attributes we request on our prayer roster. “Lord, give me strength, make me patient, show me compassionate… and ‘I surrender to your will!’“
Letting go and letting God…
is a convenient euphemism, until we are faced with removing our hands from the control panel of our lives. Surrender also means: to capitulate, submit, yield, concede, relent. Is this my queue to laugh hilariously or sob uncontrollably… as for those who know me, know this is not me! I do feisty, seasoned… out from the gauntlet of life. I can handle it.
Is it really OK if the Creator, our Saviour, the Master Stragtegist let’s cancer ravage our bodies, devastate our minds… and wrestle with our spirits. Am I OK with the Potter allowing the breakdown of my most precious relationships, then consigning them to his restoration workshop. Can I handle the loss of friends and all that is familiar, to resettling in alien spaces with strangers (friends we have not met yet).
(Rural Lethbridge, Alberta)
Surrender means not just to cave in, to resign ourselves to change… while we lament all the way to the bank, or the new territory… or the coffin. It’s a watershed celebration of “I do!” A joyous affirmation of a love-affair that I want to embrace with abandonment. A delightful and extremely difficult dance on a stage of fiery hot coals, and smouldering ashes. To the eyes of my watching world.
Yes… there will be tears. There will be “why me”, and there may be pouting sulks and open rebellion. The lover of our soul isn’t asking for “door-mat” obedience: not content with “if you say so…” acquiescence. No. He woos, and waits, and tests… and lovingly invites us to choose, like a child, to run into his arms. To surrender our bigger-than-life plans, our unrealistic dreams, our bungled save-face masks and our gritted-teeth “all is well” facades.
We know we have entered the holodeck (Star Trek) of surrender, when every day becomes a new opportunity to move our already full day-timer events to the bottom, and make room for unknown, magical, adventurous encounters with the designer, the CFO. The one who knows best, loves deeply and accepts fully. Our most powerful weapon in the onslaught of life’s relentless adversity is surrender.
(The Amazon River, Brazil)
So 2015 – I’m ready. Give me your best! For I plan to happily leave it all to my Life Manager, my PR who has a patent on creating the universe. Good enough for me. (But… will keep you posted.)
Adeline Blumer is a midnite writer, a crazy mom, a retired health professional and a caring mentor with a passion for life – all of it! Recently, while battling cancer she discovered the joy of writing poems, and is hoping to achieve a life-long dream of publishing some of the books vaulted up in her heart. Her blogs and vlog themes focus on multi-generational dialogue, inspirational stories of hope, sisterhood love (and the men who support them), as well as status quo challenge on contemporary family-faith issues.
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