The Hardest “Yes”
Howdy-do there, friend, come on up on this ol’ front porch and let me greet you real proper. Well, I do declare, it’s a mighty sweet pleasure to have you stoppin’ by today. If this porch had a voice, it would holler out a welcome louder than a lil’ o’ rooster announcin’ sunrise on a proud spring mornin’. You look like someone who might have been wrestlin’ with surrender the way a determined lil’ ol’ beaver wrestles with a stubborn log that sho’-nuff’ refuses to float straight. So, settle yourself right over here because we’re about to be walkin’ through a truth that’ll steady your heart like a solid oak beam holdin’ up a mountain cabin.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). That verse downright sits at the center of surrender like a wise ol’ hoot owl perched way up high on a pine limb. Most of the time, the biggest thing standin’ between us and God’s will ain’t the weather, not the people around us, not even the enemy. It’s us. We resist surrender because surrender means lettin’ go of the steerin’ wheel. It means sayin’, “Yes,” before we know all the details. It means walkin’ a path we didn’t choose, the way a stubborn ol’ mule walks on a trail it didn’t see on the map.
We say we want God’s will, but we want it to look like it’s our plan. We want His direction, but only if it leads where we were already hopin’ to be goin’. We want His blessin’, but not His breakin’. Yet Jesus Himself prayed the hardest prayer any of us will ever face. “Father, if there is any way you can take this away, nevertheless, not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). That there’s real surrender without no kind of bargainin’. That there’s obedience without any conditions.
Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to “Trust in the Lord with all our heart and submit to Him in all our ways.” And Psalm 143:10 says, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” That verse plum reminds me of a wise ol’ turtle that knows exactly which path leads to the safety of the pond. God’s will ain’t hard to find. It’s hard to accept. The problem ain’t clarity. The problem is surrender.
Father, teach me to stop fighting Your hand. Help me trust Your timing and Your ways. Give me courage to follow You even when the path feels uncomfortable. Lead me on level ground. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Mercy sakes alive, friend, as you rise from this porch and head toward whatever waits for you next, you gotta be makin’ sure that your courage can stretch taller than a cornstalk reachin’ for the August sunshine. Your trust in God has got to be settlin’ deeper than a river pebble restin’ exactly where the current placed it. You’ve got to be askin’ God to help you learn to let your surrender feel lighter than a leaf driftin’ across a quiet woodland path. And your heart has got to be followin’ the Lord’s leadin’ with the calm confidence of a wise ol’ bobcat that downright knows every trail in the hills. Go on ahead now, friend, and be walkin’ right on forward with the steady assurance that the Lord is sho’-nuff’ guidin’ every step you take.
With joy,
Gwen
