The Art of Submission

I started taking swing dance classes a few months ago.  I picked up on the basic movements pretty quickly.

My only problem was that I tried to anticipate the movements of my partner.  With any dance where partners are required, one partner must lead and the other must follow.  I wasn't allowing my partner to lead me.  I would sense that my partner was leading me into a full turn.  I would start right into a full turn only to be twirled right back around for a half turn instead.  I did this pretty often during those first few classes until I learned to trust my partner.  There were very experienced guys and some who had only been dancing for a short time in the class. I treated them all the same.  Wherever they led me I would follow.  Sometimes they would lead me into the incorrect movement, but I never corrected them.  I had to submit in the dance.  I had to allow them to lead even if I didn't feel comfortable about the destination.

This is exactly what happens when it comes to following God.  He takes us by the hand and asks us to dance with Him. At first things are quite easy and we find ourselves enjoying His company as well as the dance.  Somewhere along the way God decides to throw in a new move – one that we haven’t rehearsed but He knows that we can handle.  As soon as He does this we let go; breaking the connection from our leader.  We ruin the dance.  When we finally get the courage to dance with God again (submitting completely to Him) He takes us to levels that we could have never imagined. 

In order to get to our next level in life, we have to trust God and surrender ourselves to Him.

#My life is not my own. To you I belong.  I give myself, I give myself to you. I give myself away. So you can use me. 

"I Give Myself Away" Part 1- by William McDowell

I lost my jacket at the Crossroads

He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; Daniel 2:21

One beautiful spring afternoon, I was near Crossroads, Texas visiting a friend.  I had the windows slightly cracked and sunroof open.  The wind was unusually strong on this particular day, so old receipts and other papers (clearly I needed to clean out my car) were blowing freely around in the back seat of my car.  I had one of my suit jackets for work hanging over the passenger seat.  I had worn it a few days before.  The weather in Texas can be a bit unpredictable at times, so I decided to leave it in the car for those extraordinarily chilly mornings.

As the music played over the radio I enjoyed the gentle warmth of the sun touching my face.  I popped on a pair of sunglasses and got lost in the lyrics of the spring afternoon.  Suddenly the wind whipped and the car slightly veered to the right.  I snapped out of my day dream and placed both hands on the steering wheel.  Back in control of the car I began singing (very loud and off key I might add).  Out of the corner of my eye I could see something black flapping in the wind.  I turned my head just in time to see my jacket fly out of the window into traffic.  I was in complete shock.  I was driving on one of the major highways going sixty-five miles per hour.  There was no way that I could just pull over and secure my belongings.  I glanced in the rearview mirror to see my jacket being trampled by oncoming traffic.  I was sad.  A piece of me was flying through the air and I would probably never see it again.

I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason.  I also believe very strongly that God uses every single situation or circumstance to teach us a lesson that we need for whatever season we are going through.

During this time, I was holding on to things that were no longer required in my life.  I thought I needed people, things, or situations to define me.  God was trying to show me that once he removes something or someone from my life those things or people no longer have a place.  They are dead.  They have served their purpose.  I was holding on to the jacket in my car for fear that I may need it one day in the future.  What I failed to realize was that I was in a new season.  I no longer needed the protection of the sleeves against my skin.  The new season had brought about the sun – God’s light. That was all of the protection that I needed.

Are you holding on to something or someone who no longer belongs in your new season?

Part II: Perspective: Time is running out

Have you ever stopped to notice how quickly the days just seem to fly by?  Again, I find myself reflecting on the devastating natural disasters that have occurred over the past ten or so years.  I opened the bible in search of scripture that I had heard before, but I wasn't completely prepared for all that I would get out of it.  

Here is the complete chapter of Matthew 24. 

Jesus Foretells the Future

24 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. ² But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

³ Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?^[a]”

⁴ Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, ⁵ for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. ⁷ Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. ⁸ But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

⁹ “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.^{[b] 10} And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. ¹¹ And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. ¹² Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations^[c] will hear it; and then the end will come.

¹⁵ “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration^[d] standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) ¹⁶ “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. ¹⁷ A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. ¹⁸ A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. ¹⁹ How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. ²⁰ And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. ²² In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.

²³ “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. ²⁵ See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.

²⁶ “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! ²⁷ For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man^[e] comes. ²⁸ Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.^[f]

²⁹ “Immediately after the anguish of those days,

the sun will be darkened,
    the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.^[g]

³⁰ And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.^{[h] 31} And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world^[i]—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

³² “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. ³³ In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. ³⁴ I tell you the truth, this generation^[j] will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

³⁶ “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.^[k] Only the Father knows.

³⁷ “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. ³⁸ In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. ³⁹ People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

⁴⁰ “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

⁴² “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

⁴⁵ “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. ⁴⁶ If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. ⁴⁷ I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. ⁴⁸ But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ ⁴⁹ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? ⁵⁰ The master will return unannounced and unexpected, ⁵¹ and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Perspective: After the storm

7AM – 4/4/2012

 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.  Let the oceans roar and foam.  Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!  The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.  Psalm 46:1-3, 7

As the sun prepares to rise in the DFW area, I can’t help but to reflect on the events that transpired on yesterday afternoon.  I was sitting in a conference room reviewing batch jobs and table names with my IT co-workers as the first tornado touched down in Arlington.  We were unaware of the events that had taken place as we were so diligently focused on the matters at hand.  Within minutes the tornado sirens started to ring throughout the cities of Plano and Frisco and we were told to take the necessary precautions. 

We gathered in a larger conference room centrally located on the second floor of the office building, I looked around to see everyone on their cell phones.  What did we do before cell phones? Even with the threat of a tornado nearby, everyone was seemingly in good spirits. We hooked a projector to a laptop, so that the 20 to 25 people in the room could view the storm tracker.  As we listened to the meteorologist reporting on the destruction in Arlington and Lancaster, the chatter in the room slowly subsided.    The mood changed dramatically when the first images of the devastation were flashing before our eyes.  Everyone became quiet, still, and focused.  The reports that we had been reviewing earlier weren’t as important anymore.  The deadlines that were so crucial just hours before didn’t really matter.  We were literally in a life or death situation.  It’s amazing how things are put into perspective when we’re faced with possible danger.  Mothers began to call their children’s schools. Fathers tried to exit the ‘safe zone’ to get better reception on their cell phones in order to be available just in case their family tried to reach them.  I thought of my friends scattered around the city. I also remembered that I had forgotten my wallet at home.  All of my identification, credit cards, and passport were at my home.  I wasn’t concerned about the “stuff” in my house, but I didn’t want to be without my identification. For a moment there was fear in my heart, but it only lasted a moment.  “God has way too much for me to do.  I’m not going anywhere today.” I thought to myself. I made a quick call to my mother, texted my sister-n-law, and updated face book with my status as that was the best way to reach the majority of my loved ones. 

We spent another fifteen to twenty minutes or so in the room before we received the all clear.  As the doors opened and we were free to exit the room, several people made a mad dash for the front door. I, along with a few others, returned to my workstation to try and remember where I’d left off before the alarm began.

 

I left work at my normal time and started my long journey home.  As I approached the Galleria area, there was a huge dark cloud up above.  I was driving right into the storm.  I wasn’t afraid.  I mean what could I have done?  Again, I thought “Nope, not yet.”  So, as the traffic came to a halt on the toll way I snapped a few pictures of the sky.  “God is truly amazing and he’s not playing around.”  I thought to myself.   As we were stopped bumper to bumper the rain began to pour, but it only lasted for a short time. 

Before long we were moving with great speed.  I made it home around the same time that I normally would.  My home was completely intact.  No power lines were down and our water was flowing as usual.  I felt really blessed and calm.  In the mist of it all I was happy.  But within minutes my happiness turned to anger. 

I rushed in the house and found my wallet where I had left it the night before.  I then remembered that I had an overnight package being delivered.  I went back outside, jumped in my car, and drove up to the front office.  As I walked up to the door of the office, several other tenants were walking up and turning around abruptly.  The office was closed, but it was only 5:45.  They didn’t usually close until 6pm.  I peeped inside and I could see one of the office managers sitting at her computer.  “So, she’s just gonna sit there and watch me?”  I said to myself.   “What about my package?” There was a note on the door that read, “Due to inclement weather, the office is closed.”  I was heated. “Really?”  I protested while walking back to my car.  I’ve had a great deal of unfortunate incidents to occur while living on this property. My opinion, at that moment, was that my needs weren't being met.  “I pay way too much money not to get the customer service that I deserve.” I said slamming my car door.  I drove across the street to the super center.  I knew that my experience would be below par there, but nevertheless it was the only store within 10 or 15 miles.  I picked up a few items and made my way to the checkout counter.  There were only about four lanes open and they all were extremely long.  Again, I was heated.  I threw, yes threw, the groceries that I had so carefully picked up onto a nearby shelf and stormed out of the store.  In the parking lot, everyone decided to drive as if they were in a parade. I got back in the car, hit reverse, and took a long deep breath.  The devil had stolen my joy.  There were people who didn’t have a roof over their heads, lights to see how to get to one end of their home to another, or food for their children to eat.  And there I was grumpy because I wasn’t getting my way.

As soon as I got home, I went into my spiritual closet and ask God to forgive me for my behavior.  What had I been thinking? How could I be so selfish? He opened my eyes to see things in a completely different perspective.  Perhaps the office manager at my apartment complex was taking refuge at her place of employment because unlike me she didn’t have a home to go to.  Or perhaps only a few of the associates at the supercenter were able to make it in to work due to down power lines, trees, and other debris. 
And the people moving at a snail’s pace throughout the parking lot could have been still in shock from having just seen their entire neighborhood demolished.  

God definitely has a way to put things in perspective. The devil can swoop right in if we allow him to.  Our best defense is to always stay on guard.  Please pray for the families in the Dallas area who are beginning the long process of rebuilding.  And as we go back to our normal day-to-day lives, be ever ready.  Get your houses in order, for you know not the day nor the hour.

Be Blessed,

Christy-Ann