SURRENDER

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Years ago I took off to spend a considerable length of time in France, exploring the country at my leisure while driving and lingering where I pleased, for as long as I pleased.

I envisioned this trip to be a real adventure of going with the flow and being in the moment. I purposely did not plan hotel reservations and expected to call ahead as I went along. I also took a quick course in driving stick shift for the leased vehicle on order for my arrival.

Little did I know how much of an adventure awaited me: I arrived at the start of a national holiday when most countrymen vacation. It took some doing to find lodging for the first 4 days. My vehicle came with an instruction manual in French and German, and my rusty French was not ready for translating mechanical terminology. My car stalled often because I had not mastered the clutch. I barely knew where I was going because of the language barrier. Smoke and the smell of something electrical emanated from my dashboard on the first afternoon. On the third day, someone pointed out that my gas tank was releasing droplets of gasoline – which scared me sufficiently well after he indicated that the car could explode from a spark. Given this was a long holiday weekend, I could not service my vehicle until I could get to a city on the southern coast several days later.

Need I say that I was a distraught bundle of nerves and full of fear with all of these issues weighing on me? In addition, the exorbitant speed of vehicles on the autoroute was enough to frighten the stripes off a tiger.

I was wrought with worry that a spark might ignite the car. So many days of worry left me with no appetite. I could not take another minute of the stress. While driving, I remember calling out to God and saying aloud, “Maybe this car is going to blow up. Maybe I am going to crash because all of these speeding cars. I cannot stand another minute of this fright. But if this is your plan, so be it! It will happen while I am driving to the Riviera, because that is where I am headed!”

Then something happened. I heard a voice say, “There is that in me that is greater than that in the world.” Also, “God has given me dominion over all things.”

I was shocked to hear it and inspired by these biblical references (1 John 4:4 and Gen. 1:26).  I became new. With this revelation I reminded myself that there was that in me that created the asphalt, the rubber tires, and the metal car! All along I was giving dominion to these things that were created by man and I was letting them run me!

I was new. My spirit was new. No more fear, no more worry. I just let go and knew that God was in charge. From that moment, things got better. I got to each destination with ease. I stopped worrying about the highway signs. I had the best lodging throughout my stay in splendid locations. The trip was so much better after I surrendered to God to take care of things for me. What a lesson.


© Dr. Drayton-Craig, 2010