We carry many heavy burdens on our shoulders when we believe that we have to solve all of our challenges on our own. I see my most trying and difficult experiences or circumstances as challenges instead of problems. A challenge isn't a hopeless, useless or deadend situation--it is an opportunity for me to learn and grow as a person. There is always a powerful lesson hidden inside every challenge. Our job is to work through the challenge and find the lesson.
Last year, I found myself dealing with annoying upstairs and downstairs neighbors. I had complained to each of them to no avail. I wasn't prepared to move out, so I grew more angry, resentful and frustrated over the entire situation. I didn't feel at peace in my home. Every solution that I tried seemed to backfire. I felt in over my head by the entire situation.
One day, I just surrendered the whole situation to God. I forgave my neighbors as much as I could at that moment. Months later, I was able to forgive them even more and see the whole situation from a totally new perspective. In surrendering this challenge to God, I asked Him to find a solution that was mutually benefiting to all parties. I had to admit that I didn't know how to solve this situation. I had grown tired to feeling totally responsible for solving this challenging situation all on my own. Too much of my mental energy was going toward this situation, which meant I had less energy for my work.
The moment that I surrendered this challenging situation to God, my spirit felt lighter. I knew that I didn't have to do it all by myself. I had complete faith that God would solve this situation. I let go of it. I stopped worrying about how it was going to be solved or when it would be solved. I just trusted God to handle it. With each passing day, I thought less about the challenge or possible solutions.
A few months later, I noticed a moving van parked in front of my downstairs neighbor's door. He was moving out, after living there for just three months. A month later, I found out that my upstairs neighbor was moving out when her lease ended in December, 2005. With the knowledge that she was moving out, I was able to focus less on her aggravating behavior. I knew it was just a matter of time before it would all be a distant memory. I started the process of making my final peace with her since she was an important teacher to me.
I'm testifying in the power and wisdom of asking God to solve your greatest challenges instead of carrying the heavy burden on your shoulders alone. In asking God to solve your challenges, you aren't taking the easy way out or being irresponsible. You are simply asking for help. God wants to help us--all we have to do is just ask. Why keep burdening yourself with a situation that you can't solve alone? Let God work miracles in your life. Just ask and He will answer your call for help.
In surrendering, we give up control over the outcome. We may think that we always have to be in control, but we aren't ever really totally in control. We are always in partnership with God. It isn't up to us to tell God how to solve the challenge. We must trust His judgment. We must have faith that the solution will be a win-win for everyone involved. We can't ask for help with a heart filled with revenge. Our heart should be open and filled with love and forgiveness toward ourselves and others involved.
Be willing and open to go wherever God directs you. Often, you need to make a change as a part of the solution. In my case, the solution may have very well meant that it was time for me to move to a new home. If that would have been the case, God would have provided the means necessary and the opportunity for me to do so. We must learn to be open to all possible solutions since it might be time for us to move on instead of others. It would be foolish to ask for help, then turn it down because we didn't like it. Faith and trust must rule over fear and doubt when it comes to solutions.
Once you surrender, get out of your way and God's way. Often, we surrender, but still try to work on the challenge. We aren't surrendering when we do this. As a result, we aren't going to get a clear cut solution. We're going to get a muddled solution that really won't solve anything. Surrendering means giving or handing over freely and completely. We don't know God's timetable or all the unexpected ways that He will craft a win-win solution for everyone. We can't really worry about those details. We may want a solution right away, but we have to trust divine timing. We may want to know exactly how everything will work out, but it is wise to surrender our need to control the situation.
Surrendering is hard because it can make us feel powerless and helpless over our lives. That isn't really the way to see surrendering. We all have choices in how we deal with our lives. We can fight our battles alone or we can seek support. Our culture creates the myth of the hero fighting his battles alone as being something that we should aspire to do, but we can choose to seek help. Surrendering is more courageous than fighting alone. It requires us to be humble and get our ego out of the way since our ego wants us to go it alone. We all have surrendering as a choice available to us. We easily choose to surrender when we know that we have a purpose for living. Struggling and fighting our battles alone uses up a lot of physical and emotional resources that could be going toward fulfilling our life purpose. Staying on purpose is more important than fighting alone and getting off purpose.
Whatever challenge looms in your life, I encourage you to surrender it to God. Trust that everything will work out. Be open to all the ways everything can work out. Most importantly, completely surrender your challenge. Get out of the way. Don't worry about it any more. Don't think about how and when. Just have faith that a solution is coming. Wait with anticipation for a miraculous solution, but go on with the rest of your life. Keep worry, fear and doubt out of your mind, even if the situation becomes worse before it gets better.
Affirmations: I surrender my challenges to God. I allow God to work miracles in my life everyday.
Copyright©2006 Jeannine Robinson All Rights Reserved