Surrender

Have you ever played the game “Would you Rather”? It is a game of making choices and giving up one thing for another, by answering a series of questions. Remember you have to pick on or the other. Here are some questions to get you started…
 

1. Would you rather eat a handful of worms or crickets?
2. Would you rather make a new holiday or create a new language?
3. Would you rather give a gift or receive a gift?
4. Would you rather give money away to your church or to a animal rescue mission?
5. Would you rather give up your phone for a month or eat only foods you strongly dislike for a month?
6. Would you rather surrender your privacy or surrender your freedom?
7. Would you rather be bored for 3 months or live without your grandparents?
8. Would you rather hangout with your friends or get sick?

 
 
Those last couple question are really relevant for our current situation. It is hard to have to pick which thing you want because that means you have to give-up or give away your other choice. It also means you may not get everything that you want. It has been hard for me the past week to make some of these tough choices. 
 
Why is it so challenging for so many to think about surrendering (giving away/giving up) something?
 
The definition of surrender is to give oneself up into the power of another; to yield; the action of yielding one’s person or giving up possession of something especially into the power of another.
 
I have realized that we all have reasons for surrendering different things in our lives. Sometimes we do not have a choice and we are forced to surrender. Sometimes we surrender things for moral reasons like for a higher good for humanity. Sometimes we surrender things because of our belief in God. God calls each of us to surrender our lives to God, to trust God, to rely on God, to give-up or give-away the things in our lives because God is the giver of life. 
 
Read Psalm 112  
 
Psalm 112 New Living Translation (NLT)
 
1 Praise the Lord!
How joyful are those who fear the Lord
    and delight in obeying his commands.
2 Their children will be successful everywhere;
    an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
3 They themselves will be wealthy,
    and their good deeds will last forever.
4 Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
    They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.
5 Good comes to those who lend money generously
    and conduct their business fairly.
6 Such people will not be overcome by evil.
    Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
7 They do not fear bad news;
    they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
8 They are confident and fearless
    and can face their foes triumphantly.
9 They share freely and give generously to those in need.
    Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
    They will have influence and honor.
10 The wicked will see this and be infuriated.
    They will grind their teeth in anger;
    they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.
 
As you read this scripture what jumped out to you? 
How many different ways does this scripture call us to Surrender?

• We are called to surrender our freedom by obeying God’s commandments
• We are called to surrender our time by sharing good deeds
• We are called to surrender our fortunes money, things, business
• We are called to surrender our despair/fears 
• WE are called to surrender everything to those in need and trust God will provide

 
The crazy part is that this Psalmist is saying we are going to give-up and give-away all these things with a joy and delight. And if we are able to surrender we will bless God’s people everywhere “an entire generation will be blessed”. Sometimes this is tricky…sometimes we think that if we surrender then God will bless US they way we Want God to. But I have found that the blessing I receive is usually a total surprise to me. 
 
So here are some questions to ask yourself and share with your answers with your family or Sunday School Teachers. 

• In the past week, we have had to surrender a lot of things either by force or by choice. What is the hardest thing for your surrender this past week?
• How have you surrendered your fears? Your disappointments? Your frustrations? Your despair? To God this week? (You should know.. God can handle all of these things. God wants to hear all the things you are feeling)
• How many of you are willing to surrender your toilet paper for others?
• Does being generous or surrendering mean neglecting your own needs? Why or why not?
• What would lit look like to grow in cheerfulness when it comes to surrendering resources and practicing generosity? How do we do that?
• What would it look like to “decide in your heart” cheerful ways that you could surrender for others this week? What would it take for you to try that experiment this week? 

 
Closing prayer:
Dear God, 
 We trust you. We surrender to you our entire lives to you.  We give you all our time, money, decisions, fears, hopes, and dreams. This is not easy for us because we like to do what we want. Please show us your ways because you know best. Please guide us this week to be cheerful in surrendering to you. Amen