Surrender Control

Walking with God requires obedience. Like many others, I struggle with being obedient. Our culture loudly advocates for being a strong, independent woman and not letting others tell you what to do, which is the complete opposite of walking with God.

I have experienced enough to fully trust that God has my best interests at heart. So I don’t question surrendering to Him, and I am now in a place where I actually enjoy surrendering everything, including myself, to Him.

But surrender doesn’t mean sitting still and doing nothing. Proverbs 31, “A Wife of Noble Character,” and Matthew 25, “The Parable of the Three Servants,” are excellent examples of how God wants us to be productive and fruitful in life. 

I used to be afraid of surrendering because, deep down, I didn’t believe God had my back. Now, I eagerly surrender to Him because everything is so much better in His hands than in mine.

Surrender Expectation

The question now is, “How can I be productive while fully surrendering to God?” For me, being productive means setting goals and checking them off one by one.

Today, God showed me what being productive while fully surrendering looks like. I spent the day running errands and doing a lot of shopping. I had a mental list, but every time I didn’t get to check off an item, I felt a pang of disappointment. I caught myself wanting to go the extra mile just to get everything done. Then, I felt God’s gentle whisper, “It’s perfect that you didn’t get it all done.”

There were several things I didn’t get today. The old me would have tried every store, even if they didn’t have what I wanted, just to feel productive and fruitful. I would have bought something similar or even a temporary placeholder. It’s sad how my mind found joy in this.

But today, I went home with many items unchecked, and I didn’t feel bad at all. On the contrary, I felt relieved that this doesn’t bother me anymore.

Everything is perfect the way it happens because God planned it. We just need to focus on the doing and let go of our expectations and goals. And trust that even the unwanted results are part of God’s desired plan.