I am wont to take, to keep, to hide, to hoard
I am wont to run the lives of those beneath
And I am wont to run from those above:
I am at ease when I am in charge
But I found peace when I learned to give
I learned to lead when I learned to follow
I found contentment when I learned surrender.

Food For Thought: I was battling a situation that communicated lack of appreciation and rejection. One of my strategies for managing such is to withdraw and that was exactly what I was stealthily applying as I prepared to face a dreaded change. In the middle of the packing and moving the change entailed, the message that was reaching my vulnerable heart and was being confirmed by events was, “You know what? You are on your own. Nobody cares. They just don’t care so brace up.” Then God opened the doors of little wonders. Someone dropped a word in time that checked a major decision I was contemplating and wasn’t in the right frame of mind to truly consider. The group I dreaded turned out warmer than the ones I just left behind. As I was trying to settle in my newness, a friend put through a random call just to ask, “Why didn’t I see you at . . . .?” Then we chatted about something really silly that had us laughing so hard. It took just a few minutes to rescue me from that downward spiral. The people involved didn’t know what I was battling but those random acts turned my splintering world around. I knew God cared, I knew someone cared (even though the person didn’t know what and the extent of what I was dealing with at the time,)  and I knew God had organized all those little surprises  just to let me know that I was not alone in that world. Above all, I learned that when it appears that your world is falling apart, it may just be falling into its rightful place. Hang in there, be sensitive, no matter what: things are not always as they appear.

Scripture: No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” John 10: 18.

Prayer: Dear Lord, in those places where it is hard to listen, to trust, and to obey, help me to surrender still, amen.