Welcome to "Fan the Flame" Friday.
This is a weekly post that will be "short and sweet" (kinda like me...)
Just a word and a phrase, a sentence or a question...just a little something to "fan the flame" of your creativity!
Today's word: surrender
Does the word "surrender" make you think of weakness or strength?
Does it mean - "I give up..." (I can't win)
or "I give over..." (I choose to relinquish)?
What's the hardest thing you've had to "surrender"?
Let me know what you think!!
“This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you…For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:6-7)
BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"
I was determined to get here on time this week. It's more fun to fan the flame on Friday than to stoke the smoke on Saturday.
ReplyDeleteSurrender.
hmmmm. This is a hard one.
I guess it's a sign of weakness, but whether WEAKNESS is a positive or negative thing depends on what is being surrendered and to whom.
I say that because our weakness of surrender makes the one to whom we're surrendering strong.
So... if we are making Christ strong in our weakness than it's a good thing since He in turn strengthens us right back.
If we make Satan strong, bad thing. He will just make us yet weaker and defeated.
Make any sense AT ALL?
I'll probably ponder this throughout the morning and then come back to see what the smart folks here have to say.
I like that relinguishing definition for surrender; I've done both saying I give up over a particular situation and surrendered it to God as well as choosing to relinguish situations to God and his infinite wisdom. Hardest thing to surrender to him was that he truly was trust in him and knowing he knows best. Working on it and getting better with it, but still a work in process :)
ReplyDeletebetty
Debbie - You make perfect sense. Added a new shade of thought, too - surrendering to someone makes THEM strong. And then how you contrasted surrendering to Satan or God - how our "weakness" can give one or the other strength over us. I never thought of it that way before - good thoughts, Deb. (P.S. You fit right in with the smart folks...I'm just sayin'!)
ReplyDeleteBetty - Glad you liked that "relinquish" definition. I suppose if I'm totally honest, I usually surrender something to God after prying my clenched "control fist" open - "OK, Lord, I'm exhausted - here, You can have this." Knowing He knows best - yes, I believe that - do I act that way? Like you said, I'm still a work in progress...
On Good Friday this past year, we were asked to "nail" something to the cross - something that we surrendered to the Lord. I had three things. I'd love to say that those things "died" that day - for good. But the Lord is kind and merciful, and I believe He is helping me, day by day, to "surrender."
GOD BLESS!
Hi Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI think the hardest thing for me has been my male pride. Surrendering my pride required that I acknowledge a flaw in my thinking and in my life. Trusting the Lord to give me hope and assurance.
Blessings and peace.
MTJ
MTJ - Thanks for being so honest! I always appreciate your input. Flawed in our thinking - don't you think that just sums up so much of the reason why we get our lives so mixed up sometimes?! I don't remember often enough that one of the effects of sin, one of the effects of the "Fall," is that our MINDS were skewed, too.
ReplyDeleteHope and assurance - yes, I pray for that every day.
GOD BLESS, friend...