Surrender in Every Season (Part 2)

changing

Too soon, it seems, Darlene and Aidan’s youngest son leaves home, and they are left alone again. Tears prick Jodie’s eyes as she hands the car keys to Tory and watches her take another step toward independence. Keith’s manager moves him to another branch in the company, and he is forced to learn his job all over again. Elijah has major decisions to make as elders and members of his church express a desire for change. Sylvia boards a plane that will take her back home for a furlough, her first break from missionary work in five years. Brent senses it’s time to lead his class in another direction, and he wonders if it will go well with the participants. Destiny receives her diploma and wonders what she should do next.

Adapting to change isn’t easy, especially during times when the only thing we can count on is change. When it seems like everything is changing, we need to be willing to be moved. Surrender looks like relinquishing our desire for the comfort of the familiar. By being brave enough to fall free into the arms of the one who holds us safe, we find comfort in knowing there’s something stable we can stand on even when everything around us is shifting: God’s faithfulness. 

What’s breaking us can be what’s remaking us. God is our refuge and strength, and He will never change though the earth should give way, so we don’t have to fear change (Psalm 46:1–2). He will be with us through it all.

Sometimes seasons change sooner than we expected, and we can only place our hope in God’s perfect timing and trust that it all comes together in His sovereign plan. When we’re willing to give up something that was once an important part of our identity, we’re reminded anew of where our identity is truly found: hidden in Christ. That remains the same through every change.

ending

Darlene holds her husband’s hand and whispers her love as Aidan fades away; her diamond ring glints in the light as he breathes his last and her eyes brim with tears. Jodie kneels beside her bed, eyes raised and hands lifted to the sky, as she sends out another fervent prayer for her runaway daughter not yet found: Please, Lord, bring Tory home. With a curt dismissal, Keith’s employment is terminated for no good reason, and he drives home with a mind full of questions as he faces an uncertain future. Elijah raises his arms in benediction over his congregation one last time, the years of ministry rolling through his mind as he prepares to step down from the pulpit and hand over the reins to another. Sylvia bows her head and weeps when she learns that someone whom she helped bring to Christ was killed for their faith. After much prayer and reflection, Brent announces to his class that he will not be leading them anymore.  As the door to yet another hopeful opportunity is slammed shut, Destiny wonders if she chose the right path.

God is in control of the beginnings and endings in our lives. When seasons end, we must trust that every ending makes room for a new beginning. Being willing to let go of the past opens the way for love to break in and do its healing work. Sometimes opening our hearts to love again after we’ve been hurt can be the hardest choice we’ll ever make, but it’s something we must do if we want to be fully healed. 

No matter what others may say, we have to believe that broken wings can fly again, even higher than before. Light can be found in the darkest places because our God is with us in the hardest spaces. Even in the pain, beauty is being born, and it will come in due time for those ready to receive it.

open hands

Sometimes a tangible expression is what it takes for the faith we know to come home to our heart. For me, a simple practice that has been helpful is something I call the “open hands prayer,” which I first learned from Sharon Garlough Brown’s book Sensible Shoes. Start by holding out your hands palms down and praying about the things that are troubling you. Imagine yourself releasing all of those things, letting them drop into God’s hands. Then turn your hands over so they are facing palms up, and be still as you receive what God offers you in the place of the things you let go of. Take as long as you want, and feel free to repeat the process as needed.

Though we may not understand everything we’ve left behind and we don’t know all that lies ahead, through it all we can cling to this: in every season, our lives are in God’s hands. Through His faithfulness, mercy, and grace, He has given us every reason to surrender to Him in every season.