Surrendered
10:42 AMHeatherMy oldest son is a huge military buff. It truly amazes me how he is so like my dad--whom he never knew. Sometimes, I walk in to see Collin engrossed in some Military History channel marathon and I can nearly picture my dad sitting next to him. Two peas in a pod. Collin is fascinated with the strategy and tactics that lead to one side gaining victory and other side surrendering, waving the white flag.
Surrender. Doesn't really hold a positive connotation in our culture, does it? We hear surrender, and think, fine, I give up. Having worked in adoption for 17 years, I often hear this phrase used about birth mothers who "gave up" their child. In one of my earliest adoption workshops, the point was made that it's not an accurate depiction of adoption. Birth mothers don't wave a white flag and "give up." A more accurate depiction is that they made a plan for their child's future. They deliberately and intentionally considered the very best for their child, motivated by love, to have a plan for their little one's very best interest.
And, so in our own lives, we must reframe our idea of surrender. We must have a paradigm shift on the ole white flag. Because to live in victory and fellowship with our God, surrender is necessary. And, it's a GOOD thing. Really--it is. I hope that today, I will challenge you to enthusiastically wave your white flag and surrender all you are and all your dreams to our Faithful Father. This morning, the Lord whispered a truth on this subject that I think might just ease this idea of surrender. Read it, and re-read it. Please. I think He intended it to make an impact.
Surrendering your dreams and hopes to the Lord does not mean settling! Quite the contrary--surrendering means releasing your hopes for the best in order to receive His plans for your best.
Joseph is a master example of someone who graciously surrendered his dreams and hopes, and although his life did not look anything like he'd surely imagined...God's very best mind blowing plan took root because of that surrender. Surely, Joseph's early years were filled with big dreams as he pranced around in that coat of many colors. I bet he never imagined that instead he'd be sitting in a jail cell interpreting the dreams of other prisoners. But, that's just what happened. I'd really like to know the details on just how it was that Joseph kept his focus on the Lord. What sort of quiet times did he have?
While we don't know that, we do know some pretty important things about Joseph. God poured out favor on Joseph. Even in slavery, even in prison. Yesterday, we saw that the Lord gave Joseph success in whatever he did (Genesis 39:23). Even as a prisoner, Joseph seemed to have made the most of every situation, certainly by clinging to the Lord. He found favor in his trials because he looked for it. That requires surrender. A surrendered soul? In Genesis 41, Joseph is given a big opportunity when he is called to interpret Pharaoh's dream. And his response tells us all we need to know about Joseph's surrender and God's favor.
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