Take My Life...

Well week one of Uni is over.. and I'm still alive! Hurrah! I'm sure you were all terribly concerned. So, being alive as I am, I thought I would write about something that has been on my mind today. I've been talking about this with my beautiful friend in Canada, but I thought I would share it here as well. I really should be studying.. but.. well.. you know how it is.

Some of you have probably heard of the band Third Day. The last song on their album "Offerings 2 - All I Have To Give" is called "Take My Life". Melodically it's rather simplistic, but lyrically it's quite profound, which I think is a nice combination. When I woke up this morning (or, more accurately, when the alarm clock on my phone dragged me out of my peaceful slumber), this song was playing over in my head, so I started singing it to myself as I was getting ready for work, and even though I have heard it 100 times, the words of the chorus really struck a chord with me:
"Please take from me my life, when I don't have the strength to give it away to You Jesus".

It takes strength to give our burdens and hurts over to God. It's not always easy, even though in theory it should be. Some Christians will undoubtedly call this an issue of faith, or lack thereof, because, as Christians, our reliance on God should be unfaultering. But, if I'm being honest, too often I try to take on my problems and anxieties and effectively push away the One who is so willing to comfort me, if I would only let Him. Trusting God with the things that are closest to our hearts takes courage. When we're going through hard times, we feel so weak and utterly powerless, and sometimes these earthly limitations get in the way of the help that God so freely offers to us. In our weakness and uncertainty it's hard to just let go, so we cling to our pain, even when we know that we are powerless. So the idea of God taking away my life, my pain, my hurt, and my troubles..when I don't have the strength to give it away to Him, is so powerful, and such an awesome assurance. Because it's all very well to 'know' that the best thing for us to do is to give our burdens over to Christ, yet sometimes that intellectual knowledge doesn't quite connect with our hearts, and we end up completely weighed down by our circumstances. I think it's so encouraging, and humbling, to know that when I fail, or when all around me fails, God doesn't change. And He never will. What a beautiful promise. When I don't have the strength to hand my life, the good and the bad, over to God, I'm trusting Him to take it for me.