In Surrender

I asked my mom what her favourite Bible verse was, and it came by no surprise which one she chose.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 //

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

 

I’ve heard her recite this verse over and over from a young age. And actually, not only recite it with her words, but I’ve watched her live it out in her actions. 

 

Now, here I am as a new mom. Praying this exact verse over my own heart and life. Hoping that one day my daughter Shiloh would grow up saying the same thing about me, “I watched my mom live out Proverbs 3!” (Is there anything greater?)

 

But how do I do such a thing? How has my mom done it? As I thought this through, I asked the Lord to show me how I could live this out and He reminded me that it wouldn’t be done on my own strength. Trusting in the Lord with all your heart takes some mega faith in believing that God is who He says He is. The reality is, there will be days where my faith feels small and my trust is hanging on by a thread, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, I know I can raise my hands in surrender knowing that I can trust the Lord with my whole heart and entire life. 

 

I’ve learned a millions times over that I cannot lean on my own knowledge and understanding. Whenever I try, the outcome is never great. So I pray daily that I would turn to the help and wisdom of Jesus. Which being a new mom, I’m trying to understand what my daughters needs are on the daily; while desperately trying to finish a cup of coffee because the exhaustion is real. (Ha!) So, leaning on the wisdom of God while acknowledging His great love and power in my life is all I can do. Truthfully, this isn’t always a natural response to the chaos, but with the Holy Spirit empowering me I know I can submit to God in this way. 

 

I’m so thankful for a mother who was pointing me to Jesus at a young age. I bet most of the time she didn’t even realize it, but her trust in Jesus shone through. I want to encourage you today by reminding you that the way you live your life is impacting those around you. Perhaps by your own children, or maybe by children you’ve ‘brought under your wing’ to help love and mentor. Be encouraged that when you make intentional decisions to trust in Jesus with all you’ve got and surrender your life to Him, your acts of faithfulness are affecting those who have eyes on you. So continue to trust, surrender and lean on Jesus and watch it over flow into the lives of those around you!