My Thirty Day Faith Dare – Day Thirteen

Bringing Beauty to Life – Dare to Surrender to the Process of Change

Psalm 34:5 Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

Isaiah 61:1-3
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners… to comfort all who mourn… to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.

Author: God…takes broken hearts and heals them, messy lives and mends them, tears and dries them. He dresses me in something new and beautiful… from within, but its beauty is seen without. It’s always been His plan to renew me, revive me, restore me, and give me courage to… live in Him and the beauty of His holiness. It is time to believe that the shame that has covered us or the insecurity that has surrounded us can be changed by looking to Christ. It is with this upward gaze that we are changed and no longer ashamed.

Today’s truth is speaking to me…

It’s one thing to want change – and a whole ‘nuther thing to do something towards the goal of change. Surrender to the process of change – surrender isn’t one of my strongest attributes, but it’s a process, and something critical to get to change. Surrendering to Him isn’t so much a giving up as a letting go. Its opening my grubby little hands and letting Him take out what I’ve been holding onto for so long and hard. Then He will replace it with His beauty.

I’m always amazed at what a Gentleman God is – He waits until I’m willing to open my hand to Him, instead of zapping me with a lightning bolt or just removing my hand altogether. His love is patient, and His warmth coaxes me instead of using a crow bar force. All my life, whenever I’ve held tightly to something, not willing to give it up, it’s never really satisfied. Oh, there’s been a time of pleasure, but it’s never lasted, and like the verse says, it’s turned to ashes. You’d think I would have learned that lesson by now. Change – it’s a process…

God is asking me to…
Open my heart to the changes He wants to make in me
Not be afraid, but to trust and obey
Just be the clay and let the Potter work

My challenge is to…
Focus on Jesus and let Him be my Everything

Lord, in the last few weeks, as I’ve tried to walk closer with You and focus on You, I’ve seen a whole lotta distractions crop up in my life. Maybe distractions isn’t the best word, more like temptations that would be enough of a change that they would take me off course to Your plan for me. As much as I know this, I admit with shame that I’ve glanced and pondered the what ifs of the possibilities. Like I said, you’d think I would have learned that lesson by now. Oh God, in the deepest part of myself all I want is to live inside Your will, but sometimes the pull of these diversions is like a magnet, and my will just gets pulled, and it’s such a battle to stay on course. May my surrender only be to YOU, that I wouldn't do anything that would hurt You or cause me to be ashamed before You.