Week 5 - Reach the Summits

This week’s readings touched me deeply. I spent extra time on Days 20 and 21 pondering what it means to yield to God. I’ve come to points of yielding many times before but I have to admit, it’s been quite awhile since the last time. I really thought about some of the questions posed here such as, ” Are there dreams and desires that you need to give to the Lord now in order to continue on in this great adventure of knowing God?” I thought about my dreams and desires. I wrote several pages of reflection. I didn’t want to answer hastily. I asked myself is there anything holding me back from trusting God completely to handle my life? Do I want to yield myself 100% to him, even if uncontrollable tragedies occur? Which is the better place in which to be to handle tragedy? 1) myself and my own mental faculties alone? What I think? My wisdom? What I think I should do and to whom I should turn for advice? My own limited strength? OR 2) Rely on the great omnipotent God of the universe who has promised never to leave me or forsake me, who has promised to give me wisdom if I ask, who loves me immensely and who has power to help me?

It even seems a silly question to ask? Should I trust me or God? The answer is obvious: GOD!

Then I thought of what surrendering means and it occurred to me that by definition “surrender” can only be 100%. Only surrendering 70% couldn’t really be called surrendering.

After much thought I finally came to the point where I could say, “Yes Lord, whatever happens, I am yours. I yield myself to you. I give up all my desires and dreams. I will sign a blank page representing the rest of my life and allow you to fill it however you please. If I have to do things I don’t want to do, if I have to act in spite of fear, if I have to take your hand by faith and step off into the unknown of unemployment, uncertainty about the future, economic instability, family strife, my own pain or illness, or “the valley of the shadow of death,” Lord, I am yours no matter what.