Surrendering does not equate suffering.

I think that for a long time, I equated surrendering with suffering. That if I wasn't suffering, then I wasn't fully surrendering to the Lord. Like I had to be struggling with SOMETHING in order for me to prove that I needed God. And that I wanted to surrender. Ok so in order for me to surrender....I must suffer? Wait...WHAT?

Ya. Doesn't really make sense right?

Why do we as Christians feel that if we are not suffering, not walking through the pit, not struggling with our sin.....that we are not fully depending on the Lord.

That if we feel even an ounce of freedom, that we are now being self-reliant.

And therefore now surrendering to self, instead of to the Lord.

When did that EVER become reality?

When did that EVER become truth?

I do NOT have to be suffering for me to be fully surrendered, fully dependent on the Lord.

In fact.....I can be walking in the most truest walks of freedom and still be surrendered to the Lord.

Actually, the fact that walking in freedom means that I must COMPLETELY rely on the Lord FOR that freedom is enough to say that there is no way that I could do it without the Lord.

So I am being even MORE reliant on the Lord as I am walking in freedom.

Because the road to freedom is a very narrow one, and the second I let go of His hand, I am done for.

So WHYYYYYY do we think that we must be struggling in order to be dependent on the Lord.

Or WHYYYYY do we think we must be struggling in order to be refined.

We may be being refined even MORE so when we are not struggling. Because it is then that the Lord is working on our roots. Making us stronger from the ground up. So that when that storm of life comes again.......we will not be shaken.

So praise the Lord that I don't have to suffer to be close to Him.

Praise the Lord that I don't have to be struggling to be learning from Him.

I will choose to believe that walking in freedom will reap JUST as many benefits.

That walking in freedom will, in turn, lead to walking in infinite truth.

Surrendering does not equate suffering.

But Freedom does equate surrender.

Forever His,

Rach