As I pulled the weeds away from the beautiful rose bush’s base, I noticed the root ball had four sections. I wondered if I should leave them together or divide and place each section at different posts across the fence…
Just like the uprooting of my rose bush, some of my life’s leaves wilted, petals fell to the ground and a few of my branches produced more thorns than blossoms – at least for a while. God was pruning my ministry and my life, teaching me how to surrender my plans for His.
It was hard. But God was doing a new thing and allowing me to perceive it. (Is.43:19) That was five years ago and I can say without a doubt that I wouldn’t be the woman I am today if He had not uprooted me and planted me in a new place, with new dreams.
It’s easy to doubt God, ourselves and our futures when our lives feel uprooted and our dreams fall apart. For years, I had allowed pain in my past to hinder me from trusting God with my future. I allowed insecurities and fears to keep me from living in the assurance of His promises and the confidence of His love.
The only way I could surrender my former soil was to get rooted in God’s love. So I spent time with Jesus. He was all I had. Each time I wanted to cry or run, I took the broken pieces of my heart and my will and gave them to Him. I was honest with Him about how I felt. How disappointed I was. How mad I was. How hurt I was. How scared I was.
Each day I would ask Him to show me how to process my pain or my questions through His truth. How to rely on Him. How to embrace what He was doing so that I would become more like Him. I remember reading, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. “(Philippians 2:5-7)
As I asked Him to help me understand, I began to see How God could reveal more of Himself through me as I depended more on Him. Eventually those around me would enjoy the new blossoms that were produced through my surrender..
I read through the book of John, journaling each time I noticed Jesus laying down His comforts, His familiar places and people, His rights, His life – to bring glory to His Father. And each time I would let go a little more.
It taught me absolute dependence on God like I had never known and changed me from the inside out. I came to new place of trusting Him and experiencing His glory in my life and in my family. Even now we are living out the lesson of the rose bush as we make room for a new “planting of the Lord” in our lives. I invite you to read through my posts last week and see our little crown of beauty: a display of His glory revealed through a little girl who’s becoming part of our story!
What is God asking you to surrender? I’d love to know so I can pray for you! And if you’d like a chance to win a copy of my “Beyond the Shadow of Doubt” message on DVD, be sure to click on the word “comments” just below my name, then type in the white box. If you don’t have a blog, just click anonymous. It’d be fun to know your first name, age and city (& email address so I can let you know if you win)!
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Renee,
I received this devotion on this day that my family had to stop the bonding process with a little 7 y/o girl in Kazakhstan because the IA doctors gave her a high-risk diagnosis of microcephaly. Please pray that we have peace with this decision. It is extremely devastating to reject this beautiful child with so many "what-ifs" and unknowns. But we feel our first priority is to our 10 y/o son. We are definitely struggling with identifying God's plan today and your prayers would be appreciated.
Vonda
Hey Renee, The Lord has set a huge sacrifice on my husbands heart. We have both worked all our lives and just a few weeks ago, God layed on my husbands heart for me to quit work and stay home with our girls. We have outstanding bills and in order for us to meet all of these, it takes two working. I know this is all about steping out on Faith and Trust. I am like you. I am second guessing myself to really trust in Him to make ends meet. I know God never fails and He is always there. I think I am the main one on this decision because I am the type who needs to really hear and see from God that this is what he wants me to do. Actually, God needs to show me how this is going to work. This has been my longing desire so that I can be there for my girls when they need me. With me working and the rules to abide by in my employment are strict, I can not always be there for them. Please pray for our ears to be sensitive to God's voice and our eyes to be open to see what God is showing us so that we can contunie to follow His will for our lives. We appreciate all prayers.
Sincerely,
Sherrie (age 36) & William (age 38) Carter residing in North, SC. [email protected]
P.S. I am really enjoying these daily devotions.
The past year has been a year of transition in the life of my family. God has taken us on a journey that has been very painful, but obviously needed.
In ministry too many times we become so much a part of the "church machine" that we totally lose sight of Jesus. We read His word but our brains just see red and black words on a page. The words no longer have meaning. We serve out of obligation. We give out of compulsion. We smile out of duty. We show compassion out of expectation. We are a part of the machine. It takes over our daily lives, it becomes more important than our marriage, our children or our relationship with our Savior.
We always said that "we would never be a statistic of ministy." It was not going to happen to us, we were above the disgrace that comes from ministry mishaps. We were too spiritual. God would protect us from the enemy. We were wrong. God had another plan.
While in the midst of the turmoil we couldn't see past the next hour. Much less into a new year. We had to sell our home, move across the country to live with my parents, we didn't have jobs and although my husband had almost completed a doctorate he couldn't find work. The stress was so great you could actually feel it. It was like a heavy wool blanket around our shoulders. Scratchy and uncomfortable all the time. There were few kind words to be said, only an occasional smile and rarely a hug or an I Love You. What had we become? What had happened to our dreams and our resolve to be One Flesh. Daily I would pour out my heart to God. I am not sure that I meant all that I said, but I honestly did the best I could with the little life that was left in me. Some days I didn't have the strength to focus on anything except feeding the children.
I am so glad to be able to tell you that in the past year I have seen God work out his plan for my life as only He could do. I have learned to trust – which is really difficult for me. I have learned that Grace is what I want to receive and what I want to give. I have learned that Jesus is really all that I need. I didn't need my "Country Living" house, or my flower boxes, or the approval of church leaders. I didn't need to be in charge of Children's Church, VBS and every bulletin board. I didn't need to be the designer for the auditorium renovation or the Christmas decorating team. I didn't need to lead every retreat, Bible Study and work in the nursery. What I needed was to love my husband and children and surrender my heart and mind to Jesus. God has taken care of healing my marriage and restoring our joy.
It has been an unforgettable year and I am looking forward to the Fall and what God has in store for my family.
God Bless You and Your Ministry to Woman. Your encouragement is contagious.
DFW, Texas
Thanks for sharing your journey. I"m struggling with a different job I started seven months ago.
Thank you for sharing your struggles. I'm struggling with a different job I started seven months ago.
Thank you for sharing God's pruning work in your life, Renee. I have read Aster's story with tears in my eyes. Praying her safely home with you very soon.
God has been teaching me for 16 years to surrender my marriage and my husband to Him. I keep wanting to make hubby happy, sometimes surrendering my own happiness to do so, and I am often reminded that he is God's child and God will deal with his spirit, and I should continually pray, but stay out of their business. It's not easy to do when I see him hurting and believing Satan's lies. Please keep us in prayer, as I do your family and your ministry.
God bless you all!
Jennifer
(38 yrs old in Fredericktown, OH, email- [email protected])
Good morning Rene, I just want to thank you for letting God use you to uplift me in my daily walk with the Lord. Please pray for me to be encouraged in where I'm at in my life right now. God has brought me this far and I know that He has more in plan, but I need to let Him work out his plan and I need to keep my hands and my mind (ideas) to myself. They tend to wonder and get me off track, by wanting to help the Lord, as if I could or rush Him. I am where He wants me right now and I just need to be encourage and stop having those little doubts that seem to get me wondering. Any sugguestion to keep my mind from wondering from the truth? God Bless you and may you continue to be one of His chosen vessels.
Sincerly,
Monique
Sac. CA
My name is Debbie. I am 52, and live in Biloxi, MS. My email address is [email protected]
Enjoyed your devotional today about the rose bush! Man, could I ever use the dvd!
Hi! I'm having to trust God with all my hart at this time in my life. He has seen me through so much in my life I know it's because of him I'm still alive and I thank him for that. Two years ago I married a christian man who knows Gods word but does'nt walk the walk our first year was wanderful this past year he has abandon me and comes back and forth making promises and I so always believe him. We are now seperated again and it hurts so bad but through Gods grace he has blessed me with a tempory job that I pray will become permenent. My daughter and I are closer then ever before I have surrended my husband to God and I don't sit around crying and wondering about who is with or what he is doning. All I do is pray for him and ask God to bless him. I don't know what God has planned for my marriage but I stand on his promises. As a daughter of his I know he does not want me to hurt over what man does its only made me stronger in faith and realize you can't control what people do, but let me tell God can. Thank you for your encouragement. Margo
I read your story on Christianity.com – Encouragement Today, and it lead me to your blog. God is so good, He knows when to send me reminders that He is in control and it's okay to let go and trust in him. I have had trust issues since I was very young and the more I get to know the Lord and I mean really get to know Him, I feel myself letting things go and trusting in Him to get me through the storm. Praise God for holding me up when I just couldn't stand on my own.
I have a prayer request, my husband and I are seperated, and my family is really hurting. My husband is with another woman and is seeking a divorce. My first and reaction would be to have nothing to do with him, and give him the divorce. But I did that before and don't want to be in this same position 5 years from now…again. God has put in in my heart to forgive my husband and fight for my marriage through seeking Him. I want so much to just run away from this pain, and storm I am in, but I gave myself to the Lord and know He loves me and will get me through this a stronger person, woman of God and a mother who will lead her children to Jesus. I feel a calling on my life and don't want to disobey God. I want to stay focused on God and not my husband and what he is doing. Please pray for me to fully trust in the Lord and seek his will for me and allow him to work in my life so I can be that woman of God he intended me to be.
Thank you & God Bless you & your family.
Veronica
my info:
35 yrs. old
I live in Berwyn, IL
[email protected]
Oh Renee!
I am in tears as I read this devotion.
I have been a stay at home mom for the past 5 years and my husband is now asking me to return to work outside the home.
I am sad and I am questioning this and I am just not comfortable with it AT ALL!
Your devotion penetrated my heart! Words like surrender and uprooting…wow. That is where I find myself today.
I know that I need to submit to what my husband is asking me…esp if I am praying everyday that God would guide my husband! 😉 I need to take a step of faith and wait expectantly for God to then reveal Himself in this!
So to answer your question…I need to surrender my COMFORT and trust that God will use these changes for HIS glory. It's not about where I feel most comfortable. It's about wanting to be where God wants me to be so He can use me most effectively for HIS purposes!
Bless you Renee!
Amy Hale
Rossville, TN
This is just what I needed to hear this morning. I am struggling with surrendering a long and dear friendship to God. My friend has decided that I am the worst person on the face of the earth and has broken off the friendship. I am struggling with the NEED to defend myself and with how God wants me to act and react.
I am Shelley, 53 and in Minnesota
[email protected]
Renee, you have blessed me today. Thank you. I need to surrender to God's will for every detail of my life. There is so much about my life that I don't understand. My husband has walked away from our marriage after 14 years. My son is 18 years old and can't find his way. My daughter is 24 years old and lives a lesbian lifestyle. I know satan is trying to destroy my family. I am standing in restoration for my marriage and for my family. I am committed to my house serving God. I know God can change everything in my life. I want to trust Him to do just that and get out of His way. I know God is so awesome and I want Him to use me in a mighty way.
God bless you and your family.
My name is Yolonda, and I live in Bartlett, TN.
[email protected]
Hi Renee,
I've been seeking and searching for God to show me why I am where I am. I am on a journey to becoming a life coach, as I believe this is the path He wants me on, but I find myself stuck in my current job (which is not meaningful work) and apprehensive about my new career as a life coach. If you could say a prayer for me, I would be so grateful. I seek His truth and purpose for me.
My name is Jamie and i live in Des Moines, Iowa. My email is [email protected]
Thanks, Renee!
Hi Renee,
your devotion came via email as they always do and I was excited to see the verse you chose from Isaiah 61. It's a verse I've been holding onto recently as I go through some personal struggles with friendships. I'm struggling to trust God that it will turn out to be a 'display of His splendor'.
I absolutely love receiving the Proverbs 31 devotions and would like to join the drawing, too. I live in Ontario, Canada.
([email protected])
Hi Renee,
Thanks for all that you do! Finding these devotions and your blog has truly been a blessing.
I was really excited this morning when I opened my email and found that today's Devotion was about Surrender. God has been speaking to me about surrender, quite a bit lately, although I haven't figured out yet areas I need to surrender more to Him. I know He will continue to reveal that to me.
Melodie, age 32
North Battleford, SK
Your Proverbs 31 message for today was exactly what I needed to hear today.
Please pray for me, my husband,our children, and our marriage as we face some very challenging, devastating obstacles that have the potential to end our marriage. It is very, very hard for me to even consider that this would be anything that God would want for us, and again, as it has for the past three years, the future of our marriage seems hopeless. I rest in in the knowledge that all things are possible with God and that my husband and his strongholds are in God's hands. Please join me in praying that my husband will seek
God and will completely give over his temptations and strongholds to God-the only hope there is to overcome-and finally have the God-centered marriage He wants us to have.
Thank you.
Hey Renee,
I've only been receiving the P31 email devotionals for about 3 weeks now. I look so forward to them here at work. I appreciate you welcoming my prayer request. My job seems to be a little unstable and there is a good chance that I will be let go. The problem I have is I feel like God is telling me to "up root" from this company I have been at for 12 years, while EVERYONE else is telling me to take a different position at the company. I felt I had it all settled with God and leaving was what He had for me. However, as time goes on I feel doubts coming in (from others people as well as spiritually) and I start to wonder did I have it settled before because of my agenda or was it really from God. (I believe the Devil knows my weakness in this area and knows how to use it.) I keep searching my heart and praying that I will be obedient to God because I know His way is BEST so if you could just pray for me to be obedient and not let thoughts of doubt from the evil one interfere with the communication between me and my heavenly father it would mean a TON!
Thank you
Kristi, 30yrs young, Florida
[email protected]
Thanks for your devotion today. The rose bush is a great example of the process we go thru when we are transplanted to new territory. It can be painful but when we are obedient to God the end result is beautiful glory to Him. Right now I am dealing with some negative attitudes I know I must surrender to Him.
God Bless You
[email protected]
OOPS…here is my e-mail address:
[email protected]
Lara O'Brien
Thanks!
Lara