We walked up and down the aisles, stopping occasionally to admire the jewelry securely displayed in glass cases.

Naomi slowed as she approached a display of deep blue sapphire pendants and bracelets. She motioned for me to take a look and whispered, “I like pretty things.”

We spent the remainder of our time together, negotiating the congested streets and even more crowded stores and galleries indulging our senses with all that was beautiful and lovely until finally our eyes, minds, and feet could take no more.

As we gathered our packages, preparing to get on a shuttle and head back to our hotel, Naomi repeated, “I really do like pretty things” and added after scanning all the bags she had accumulated, “But they all come with a price.”

I thought about Naomi’s statement several times during the week but it wasn’t until I returned home and started unpacking all my treasures, that her statement took full effect. Often the things we desire, all the pretty things, do come with a steep cost.

Our desire for things can take a financial toll. But our desires can also cost us precious time, distort our sense of true worth, and drive us to a place of chronic dissatisfaction.

Pretty things, in and of themselves, are not the issue. The problem arises when we base our satisfaction, happiness, and value on our wants. It is a heart issue, not a purchasing disorder.

John, a disciple of Jesus, offers this direction in 1 John 2:15-17,

“Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.”

The Message

I want to live a God-controlled life. Unfortunately, I often find myself in spiritual debt, weighed down by my need to orchestrate outcomes, and my insatiable appetite to demonstrate my value by doing more and more.

So how do we practically live out John’s instruction? 

I am beginning to believe that a God–centered life is far easier to obtain than we can wrap our minds around. But it does take one sizable step of faith – surrender. And I don’t know about you but surrender sounds weak and something I choose not to do voluntarily.

If you are a fellow lover of pretty things, need to control outcomes to define your value, or find yourself in spiritual debt, consider the following.

Surrender is not giving up!

Jesus showed us the power of surrender the day He was crucified. He could have easily called in an army of angels, the forces of nature, or relied on His abilities to change the course of the world. Yet, He surrendered His will and authority to His Father, paving the way for our eternity.

Jesus didn’t give up the day He faced the cross. He took a single step toward the future God had defined for Him, for you, and me. He trusted that his Father’s will and path were better than His own and He relinquished control. We can do the same, trusting that God’s plan and His purpose for our lives are far better than our own.  

Surrender is not giving up but rather, surrender is giving in.

Just like Jesus handed over His control to His Father, we can choose daily to surrender every decision, all our wants, and our need for purpose and value. I know it’s not easy, but fortunately, we don’t have to do it alone. We have Jesus’ strength to lean on and His example to lead us.

I think our role is to acknowledge our heart’s desperate desire to have things on our terms and take a single step toward letting go, relinquishing our perceived control to God, the One who loves us dearly.

So, the next time you are scanning the horizon for the next pretty thing to satisfy your desires, or are preparing to orchestrate an outcome, or perhaps recognize your spiritual poverty, consider taking a single step toward Jesus, trusting Him, and surrender.

Be Blessed His BeLOVED,