It’s wonderful to hear from Jennifer Epperson this week! If you’ve not stopped by the contributers page to learn more about her, you can do that today!
Before our third daughter’s birth, my husband and I had already decided that she would be our last child. A difficult first trimester, and just a very weird pregnancy in general, increased my resolve. Additionally, each pregnancy came with an increased dose of anxiety for me, and every time I delivered, my babies only came earlier: 10 days early, 18 days, and now 24 days—I shuddered to think how early a fourth one might be. Once baby girl came (even though she is a sweet blessing from God like her sisters before her), the sleep deprivation and physical recovery still made the thought of another baby a definite no-go.
A few months ago, I was convicted that I had decided to be done having children, and I hadn’t really considered that God might have a different plan. I asked His forgiveness for deciding something so important without consideration of His desires. I surrendered my plans to His. Do I think He has more children planned for our future? No. But now my heart is softened to the idea that His plans may be different from mine.
Sometimes, He just wants us to wave the white flag of surrender. If we aren’t willing to give up our own plans, we could miss what He has for us or resent Him when life goes differently than we planned. Insistence on our own will also interferes with our closeness to Him.
Perhaps you have a white flag you need to wave. Here are a few steps I encourage you to take.
1.) Make Psalm 139: 23, 24 your prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
— It is possible He will reveal that you have chosen your own way about a matter. If so, surrender the matter to Him. His way is better—always.
2.) Give Christ His deserved preeminence in your life.
— In John chapter 3, John the Baptist’s disciples come to him concerned, because people are beginning to follow Jesus rather than him. John reminds them that he was sent before Christ to prepare people for His coming. Verses 29-30: “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” John understood that his ministry and his life were all about Christ and not himself, and Christ’s ministry and preeminence brought Him joy.
3.) Delight in the Lord.
— Psalm 37:4 states, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” When we delight in Him, we will find our desires begin to match His own.
If you find that you are clinging so tightly to plans of your own, that you haven’t considered the plans of God, lay them down and surrender. Find the peace and joy that come with letting God direct your steps.
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