Wow, I can’t believe it is December already. I am actually gearing up to finish another semester of college and also take a blogging break for the month of December, so this will be my last blog post of the year. Every year I get to take some time off during the month of December in order to recharge, rest, and spend some time with God. I don’t know about you, but when I am not praying, journaling, and reading my Bible every day I am often reminded of just how broken life can be sometimes.
The fact is we all struggle with something in our life, and I am thankful that God has been shining His light on the truth of what I am struggling with so that I can be self-aware in that area of my life; and so I can surrender that area of my life over to Him.
I have been thinking a lot about surrender lately and how it truly creates freedom in us to be able to live our life to the fullest. One of my favorite scriptures is Mathew 11:30 when Jesus says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. In Proverbs 10:22 it also says, “Yahweh’s blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.” For me, I am at a point in my life where if I am feeling troubled by God’s blessings, or if I am taking on a responsibility that seems too heavy, then maybe it’s time to surrender that burden over to The Lord. This process has not been easy to do because I like to be in control.
I actually had a dream recently that I was getting ready to fly in an airplane.
If you know me then you know I hate flying. I hate flying. I hate flying. I hate flying. Did I mention that I hate flying? Well, in this dream I was getting ready to fly, and nothing speaks surrender to me more than getting into an airplane that someone else is piloting, and flying through the air where my feet are not touching the ground.
In this dream I was sitting on the plane getting ready for take off, and I was thinking about all the other ways I could get to my destination without having to fly in an airplane. I thought to myself that we always usually drive everywhere we go (because I hate flying) and we could just drive there; however, there was a sense in me that driving there isn’t the safest way to get there and neither is it the easiest way to get to our destination.
But the fact is, the hardest part about flying in a airplane is getting on the plane and staying there through take off; once the plane takes off all we need to do is soar through the sky until we get to our destination. For me, the scariest part is letting go enough to get off the ground, after that I know there is no other option for me but to sit back and trust that our pilot will get us to our destination safely.
Isn’t that how we do life sometimes? The surrendering is truly the hardest part, it is where we make the choice to place ourselves under the yoke of Jesus and trust Him to take us to our destination safely. But once we make that choice, and we finally surrender to Jesus’ way of getting to our destination, that is when we finally are able to soar through life.
In 2017 my word of the year was grace, and I feel like God has revealed to me areas where I need to allow His grace into my heart, my life, and my mind. This takes surrender on my part, and I need to let go of what I feel I deserve in this life, and what I feel other people deserve, too. Sometimes with grace the hardest part of allowing it to be a truth in your heart is realizing you don’t deserve it. Yet, realizing you don’t deserve God’s grace and all the gifts He has given you is what makes grace, well, GRACE!
One of the greatest blessings from grace is that we get to soar through life with Jesus being the pilot. We get to live under His light burden and easy yoke. What a blessing it is to live a life under His grace!
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. As stated in the title there is a giveaway below. For several years I have been participating in a wonderful giveaway hosted by several bloggers called the Christmas Blessing Giveaway. Basically, we put together money to giveaway around Christmas time to be a blessing to one of our readers. I feel like ending 2017 with a Christmas giveaway is the best way to end this year! I hope you all will check back in 2018! I hope you all have a very, merry Christmas!
Christmas Blessings Giveaway:
Giveaway rules: No purchase necessary. Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited by law. Open to US and Canada residents only. This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or associated by Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest. By entering this giveaway, you agree to release Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Woman to Woman Ministries and all participating bloggers of all liability. Contest ends at 11:59PM CST on December 11, 2017. Winner is randomly chosen by Rafflecopter and will be emailed.
Participating bloggers:
Woman to Woman Ministries
Jenifer Metzger
Shari A. Miller
Elizabeth Stewart, Just Following Jesus
A Mama’s Story
Skill Trekker
Rachael Gilbert
Phyllis Sather, Write the Vision
Breakthrough Homeschooling
Mama’s Coffee Shop
Learning Grace Through Motherhood
A Delightful Glow
Heather Bixler
Paradise Praises
Word Traveling, Faith-Fueled Living
Awe Filled Homemaker
Ben and Me
Every Good and Perfect Gift: A 25 Day Advent Devotional
No matter what Christmas was for us in the past, it seems like every year it has the opportunity, and the possibility, to be something completely different and brand new. That’s what Jesus brought with Him as He was born into this world; He brought with Him a clean slate, a fresh start, and something brand new to our lives and to our faith.
Today I invite you to come and take this imperfect advent journey with me to discover the beauty of the good and perfect gifts God has given us through His Son Jesus. Let us journey together to discover what those gifts are, how we can receive those gifts, and most importantly the importance of being a good steward of those gifts.
Surrender is so hard! Yet when we do, we see glorious things! <3
Thank you for joining us for the Blessing Giveaway. God bless!
What a wonderful prize. Thank you for sharing it w/ us. Surrender is hard but God’s grace is greater. What a blessed people we are to be His children. Blessings to you at this Christmas season.
I forgot to say what I would do w/ the pay pal $$. Probably buy some gifts.
I would use the $$$ to buy Christmas gifts for my family and few others the Lord has laid on my heart who are in need 💗
Answer: I’d squirrel it away for a vacation in the spring.
Heather, I hope you have a great break!
Blessings to you
I hope you enjoy your time off from blogging! Thanks for linking up with The Blogger’s Pit Stop! Roseann from http://www.thisautoimmunelife.com!
This was beautiful and so very true! Wow, surrender can be so very hard, but the result is wonderful! Though we like to think that we are in control, we are not. And when we step out and realize Who is and how much He loves us…Well we can do most anything!
Christmas Blessings,
Amy
I love your quote, “Grace allows us to soar through life.” Such a true thought.
Thanks for hosting this giveaway, Heather. If I win, I will use the money to travel to writing conferences in 2018. Blessings to you!
This would be a huge blessing for us. I would use it to get my car back on the road. Thank you all for this generous chance. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Blessings to you.
Your words were so precious to me. I’m thankful that grace is the greatest blessing I could receive. I desire to live under God’s light burden and easy yoke. He gives me a life that brings peace and grace in every situation, be it difficult or one of ease. I’m praying that 2018 will be a year where I experience soaring through life with Jesus as my pilot.
Dropping by from Jennifer’s today (I’m your neighbor). Thank you for the encouragement to surrender–God’s plan is ALWAYS better than my plan. I know this, but I often struggle to live it!