Letting go is hard. It goes against our natural human urge to cling on tightly to the things we care about so we can maintain a sense of control. This internal game of tug-of-war is something we all struggle with. Even if you aren’t a self-proclaimed “control freak,” you can probably think of at least one area of your life in which you are being called to release control.
Surrender is an invitation to entrust each hope, worry, and pressing concern in our hearts to the one whose love for us goes beyond measure. To surrender means to relinquish control and recognize that God alone can meet our deepest need.
My guest for this conversation understands both the struggle of letting go and the power that comes when we stop trying to micromanage the outcome. Mary DeMuth is the author of The Freedom of Surrender, a journey through 40 days of entrusting specific areas of your life to God. She is an international speaker, podcaster, and author of over forty books, both fiction and nonfiction.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- Why you should stop trying to control outcomes
- The power that lies in letting go
- How we can practice giving our hopes to God
- And more!
It’s always a delight to have Mary on the podcast, and I greatly enjoyed our conversation about surrender.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Prefer to watch this episode? You can now view and subscribe to our YouTube.
- Connect with Mary on her website, Instagram, or Facebook
- [BOOK] The Freedom of Surrender: Forty Devotions for a Joyful Life in Christ
- Parenting Your Wayward Adult Kids with Joy with Mary DeMuth | Episode 126
- When You’re Misunderstood with Mary DeMuth | Episode 94
- Mary’s Art on Etsy
- Pray Every Day Podcast
- 12 FREE Screensavers from Mary
- As a thank you for listening, get your 3 free eBooks.
My Key Takeaways:
1) Open your life to the creativity of God. When we put ourselves in the driver’s seat, it can feel chaotic; we are constantly trying to manipulate details and arrive at outcomes that were never within our control to begin with. However, when we sit back and allow God to work within His timing, something amazing happens. He orchestrates details, moves individuals, and uses factors we never could have imagined to bring about His will and purposes. It’s a wonderful glimpse into the creativity of God to work in ways we never see coming.
2) Check your expectations. In this conversation, we discussed how we typically react when our hopes and expectations don’t come to fruition. This experience can be disappointing and frustrating, and it can leave us with a feeling that the situation is hopeless. On the other hand, when we practice checking our expectations, it leaves room for them to be left unmet, which allows us to remain at peace even if things don’t play out the way we may have hoped. It’s not that we shouldn’t have ANY expectations, but we need to ensure the ones we do have are kept at a healthy level. One way we can accomplish this is by offering up our expectations to the Lord: “Jesus, I hope that __ occurs. However, if it doesn’t, I know you will still be there to lead me through those circumstances.”
3) Trust is at the center of surrender. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to let go of control if we couldn’t trust God to hold the world together. Scripture tells us that in Jesus, all things are held together (Colossians 1:17). I’m so grateful that He doesn’t command us to blindly trust Him, but rather walks with us to show over and over that He can be trusted with every aspect of our lives. What small thing might God be asking you to practice giving over control of this week?
About Mary:
Mary DeMuth is an international speaker, podcaster, and author of over forty books, fiction, and nonfiction, including her latest book, The Freedom of Surrender: Forty Devotions for a Joyful Life in Christ. Through God’s healing, Mary has overcome a difficult past to become an authentic example of what it means to live a brand-new story. She loves to help others “re-story” their lives through the books she writes. Mary lives in Texas with her husband of over 30 years and is Mom to three adult children.
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