Courageous- The Art of Letting Go

This year's GEM Conference theme was, "Courageous." (hosted by our church)  It was a powerful night in God's Presence, standing united with our sisters in Christ, seeking His face and worshipping Him in Spirit and in Truth.

One part of the night that really stood out to me was writing down what we needed to surrender in order to be "Courageous."  Let's face it, surrendering IS an act of courage, as well as it is of faith and obedience!  And without it, we can't walk the path Christ laid out for us. 

What I wrote down for my surrender was "control."  I like having the security of knowing what's what, and that everything is well-planned and within my reach to "fix" if necessary.  The problem is, I find myself trusting in only my plans, and not fully trusting God to take care of the scary unknown.  I believe in this season, this chapter of my life, "letting go" is going to involve many things:

•    Letting my seven year old go to Summer camp for the first time-by himself.
•    The possibility of never seeing a certain foster child again, whom I love like my own.
•    Letting go of the harsh criticisms from those I love most.

The list goes on...  You see, hanging onto these things cripple my faith and weaken my testimony.  It also greatly hinders my walk.  I want my life to scream that God is very much alive and moving, and that He is really all I need to sustain me during difficult times.  God's Word tells us that His power is made PERFECT in weakness.  My weakness is having no control--no power to change what others think of me, or never seeing a little girl whom I love, ever again.  Also, no power to change the outcome.

Esther, a woman I greatly admire, and probably the most brave woman in all of history, had to surrender.  She had to be willing to die in order to save her people.  That takes guts!  If she had not surrendered her will to God, and had not gone into the presence of the King, a generation of people would have been gone-lost forever.  In the same way, we have to carry our cross daily and follow Him.  I believe God is raising up a generation of Esthers for such a time as this!  Dear sisters, what would happen to this generation if we didn't leave a legacy of faith by surrendering?  Would it be gone?  That is a very sobering thought!  So, in closing, I'd like to challenge you: "What do you need to surrender to God today?"

Shannon :)