He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32
Oh boy — how much do I find myself resisting? Resisting the call of my passion and love for my Lord into a passive perseverance of waiting. But my nature, my natural fleshly default, resists this subtle, yet most present, change. And I hear Him saying . . . “Hand it over.”
God has done such a great job (not that I need to give Him props for this) making our children the teachers of this world, but they hand out life lessons everyday. Without exception, when there’s more than one present, there will always be a moment of conflict between them. On countless occasions I will stumble upon one of these moments of discord. Most of the time it sounds the same despite the circumstances . . . something like this . . . . “give it to me! give it to me! GIVE IT TO ME!!” Sound familiar?
There’s something that takes place here that I find rather intriguing when compared with the heart of man. God is all the while asking us to surrender ourselves to Him. In so many words He is asking us to give ourselves to Him, to hand ourselves over to Him. Why is this so hard to do? Well, the children’s life lessons strike again! Because we want what we have, it’s mine and to give it up would mean I’d have to change, play with something new and different . . . or worse, wait!
It’s what happens at the moment I hand myself over that the spiritual miracle of my heart begins a radical change. At this moment of true surrender, life-changing transformation — the liquifying of the soul — begins and the DNA of Christ in me begins to take shape. Like God Himself who handed over His own Son for us and as Judas “handed over” Christ to the chief priests, I am called to “hand myself over” to Him. And as I do, I enter a period of waiting and discover God’s deeper purposes.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28