Saturday, January 20, 2018

My Surrender to the Stomach Bug

Oh boy! Can you say, I got run over by a truck? This is the reality I've lived during a big portion of this past week.

Having worked in Pre-K for four and a half years and still working with germy high school kids, I have a pretty tough immune system. I don't normally succumb to the illnesses around me. But this time the stomach bug must have found that one weak spot.

But you know, laying in the bed, not feeling like getting up because of lack of energy, can teach you a lot about surrender.

As you know if you follow this blog, that's my word for this year - SURRENDERED.

For those of you who just rolled your eyes and shook your head, whispering under your breath, "Is she crazy or something?" - I didn't choose this word for myself. God impressed this word upon me for days and I finally had to do my first act of surrender.

There are things we don't have control over "surrendering" to, like stomach bugs, or what family you're born into, or what you look like and who you are. I mean, I had to basically surrender in defeat to this stomach bug. I had no choice. I felt awful and basically couldn't get out of bed for a couple of days. There was no use in fighting and saying, "You won't get me down." I was down for the count.


Then there's the issue of the family you're born into and the person you are. You may as well surrender to those things because "it is what it is" - to use one of my hubby's favorite quotes. But don't we sometimes still balk at these things like we could change it?

Now on the other hand, there are things we can choose to surrender to or not. We can surrender to self pity, bitterness, or even anger. Yes, because all of these are choices.

We can also surrender to peace and you know where that comes from? God. But to have peace means to unconditionally surrender to Him.

In most wars and battles one side is called upon to surrender so peace can come.


Guess what? We're in a battle. God calls on us to surrender to Him and His will and then we can have His peace.

In Surrender by Nancy Leigh DeMoss she says, "Our initial surrender must be followed by an ongoing process of working out the reality of our surrender in practical, day-to-day ways."

With my stomach bug, I had to succumb to resting and doing what I needed to get over it. I couldn't defy it and keep going. Nope. I had to surrender to what I needed to do to get better.

Sometimes in this day-to-day surrender with God, I have to be willing to do the same. He might call me to surrender to a new job or a new attitude. These are things I have to surrender to and then work through what that means.

Well, I have now conquered the stomach bug, but the daily surrendered thing? Yeah, that's gonna take a little bit more work. Good thing God gave me this whole year to study it. I think I'm gonna need it.

Do you struggle with surrendering all unconditionally to God? Share.

No comments: