My Surrender

Had Steven C. Chapman's song My Surrender running through my head today. And the more I've thought about the lyrics, the more I realize I do indeed need to give it all back to Him again. The more areas of my life I thought about, the more I realized how much I tend to hand them to Him only to take them back again. It would be easy to ask why I do that. It's obviously a much smarter choice to leave my life in His more than capable hands. But surrender is never easy, I suppose. Not really. Even the things that (on the surface) appear easy to give to Him, they come harder later. Or at least that's been my experience. It's easy to give Him things that aren't really yours - yet. Not so easy when they are in your hand, right there in front of you.

In advance, I can offer Him my career... When the time comes that I am faced with a choice, I can either push ahead with my own agenda, or surrender to His plan for something that wasn't in my viewfinder.

In advance, I can offer Him my time and energy... When the time comes that I'm exhausted nearly past endurance, I can give up or resentfully do the next task in front of me, or surrender that exhaustion to Him and let Him give me His own strength.

In advance, I can offer Him my money... When the time comes that the budget is tight, I can hoard away the little I have, or I can surrender it to the One who gave it to me in the first place and let Him use it to bless others as well as myself.

In advance, I can offer Him my purity... When the time comes that temptation is staring me in the eye, I can either allow my own deceitful heart and emotions to rule me, or I can surrender my desires to Him and let Him meet those desires in the right time and way.

In advance, I can offer Him my children... When the time comes that my little one is de.athly ill, I can become bitter and angry, or I can surrender my child into the arms of the One who gives - and sometimes takes away.

In advance, I can offer Him my hopes and dreams... When the time come that those dreams are seemingly stripped away, I can fear and worry, or I can surrender them back to Him and allow Him to do with them what He will.

Insurrection, insubordination, and rebellion are ugly words... but aren't my actions ugly too, at times? Aren't those the things I demonstrate when I refuse to surrender my will, my thoughts, my emotions, my family, my fears, my career, my desires, my dreams, my material goods, my time, my actions, and my words?

My Surrender

Does it all sound the same?
Are my words getting through?
I’ve been trying so hard
and I’m about to break
So here I am with all I have

And I’m giving it all back to You
All back to You
I surrender
Yeah, I’m giving it all back to You
All back to You
This is my surrender
Take it all

And what song can I sing
but the song that You give
I have nothing to bring
that did not come from Your hand
So here I am with all I have

And I’m giving it all back to You
All back to You
I surrender
Yeah, I’m giving it all back to You
All back to You
This is my surrender

All my plans and all my dreams
I’m giving it all to You
I lay it all down at Your feet
I’m Yours

So what song can I sing but this song?

I’m giving it all back to You
All back to You
I surrender
I’m giving it all back to You
All back to You
This is my surrender
Take it all
Take it all
Lord, take it all
Take it all