Have you ever noticed when we hold so tight to what we think can be controlled, our hope disappears or fades? Have you been there? Are you there now? Let me introduce you to my friend, Lori Schumaker, who has a beautiful website,  “Searching for Moments.” She is our guest today, sharing how surrender is key to finding hope.

If you have never visited her website, you will want to take a few minutes and do so. She has a beautiful way of bringing our struggles to light, sprinkling them with hope, and showing us how to reconnect with God, ourselves, and others.

Lori wrote a beautiful book about her family’s journey in adopting their daughter from Bulgaria. It is a story we all need to read regardless of whether we are interested in adoption or not. She teaches us to find hope we need to let go of what we are holding on to and surrender it all to God. It isn’t easy, but it is necessary if we want our hope to soar.

Do you struggle with surrender to God?

 

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Finding Hope in Surrender

Guest Post by Lori Schumaker

 

Hope. Such a small but powerful word – one that within its four letters holds victory or defeat for our lives. Without hope, we stop standing when difficult tomorrows attempt to push us down. Without hope our joy fades, identity disappears, and all that we value becomes meaningless.

So, where do we find hope? Where do we seek it out?

Often, we look to things that cannot remain. Things that fade, wither, and die.

Maybe we look to our accomplishments only coming face-to-face with a day when they just don’t add up.

Or, we place our hope in a relationship. But just as our accomplishments fall short, so do people. They are human, and we live in a broken world. People will, whether intentional or not, disappoint us and break our hearts. When they do, if our hope is in them, it collapses alongside the relationship.

What if we’ve begun to place our hope in the next good time … or the next thrill? And what if our hope has landed at the bottom of a bottle meant to soothe away the pain?

Dear friend, hope is far too important to place in the hands of something incapable of lasting forever.

But there is an answer. A forever is possible. You see, long ago on a still dark night, Hope was born as a tiny baby in a manger. Jesus. The one who lived a sinless life among us then died at the hands of the very people He loved. Only He didn’t die as an end. He died as a beginning – conquering death not just to point to His power, but to give us all hope against sin and death forever.

For all of us. Then. Now. And always.

His hope is eternal.

His love everlasting.

His promises never fail.

 

Before I knew that hope in Jesus, I walked paths I should never have traveled. They brought me to places where my hope faded.

But Jesus.

Again and again, He shows me He is trustworthy. He loves me even when I land in a mess of my own making. He keeps hope alive within me.

But hope doesn’t just happen.

It happens when we commit to doing our part, as well. That part means choosing to trust. It means laying down what’s not ours to hold onto and giving it back to its rightful and trustworthy owner – Jesus. Then, as we authentically live out trust, we must embrace the story Jesus is writing. We can’t get stuck in bitterness, fighting to hold onto our version of how the story should go.

As a family, we learned some powerful lessons about embracing God’s will as we walked the road of adoption to bring our daughter home from Bulgaria. There was a lot of letting go – a lot of surrendering. There was heartache, and there was joy. And what we found on the other side of surrender, was hope. It opened the doors for us to witness miracles and it gave us eyes to see the world differently.

It’s why I wrote my book, Surrendered Hearts: An Adoption Story of Love, Loss, and Learning to Trust. It’s an adoption story, but so much more. I wrote it for anyone who needs hope – anyone who needs to let go and embrace God’s version of the story.

In the book, as a reminder for us to place our hope in and live surrendered to a God who cannot fail us, I wrote the Surrendered Hearts Manifesto. If you live on a rollercoaster of hope, I challenge you to live surrendered and trust in Jesus to stop that tumultuous ride. You are valuable, and your life has a purpose. When we follow His call, soak in His love, and believe what He says about us, we can be assured in the hope we have tomorrow. May these words encourage you and give you hope.

 

The Surrendered Hearts Manifesto

I love God with my whole heart. I love how He loves me and relentlessly pursues me. I love how He calls me His own and showers me with His grace while longing to see me walk in my holy purpose.

 I believe He is my Savior. Jesus alone is my pathway to heaven, and because of Him and His loving sacrifice, I can experience wholeness, freedom, and joy on this side of the cross.

To experience this to the full, however, I must surrender—not part of me, but all of me. In the face of everything not of God, I must surrender my fleshly reactions and respond as He calls.

And when I mess up, as I surely will, I will run to Him and let His grace pour over me. I will not stay stuck in the shackles of shame or regret. I will move forward.

I commit to living a surrendered life. A life of trust.

When patience eludes me and I don’t want to wait anymore, I will choose to trust God’s timing. When the world around me screams injustice and I ache to lash out, I will trust God’s infinite wisdom.

As chaos swirls around me, tempting me to hyper-control my world, I will choose instead to respond with balance and trust.

When the fears of what if threaten to envelop me, I commit instead to the bravery we have when we trust Christ.

And finally, when doubt and worry seep through my armor, I commit to trust that my God is bigger than anything I am facing, and somehow—someway—it will all be okay.

 

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Meet My Friend – Lori

As a wife, adoptive and biological mom, teacher, writer, speaker, and coach, Lori’s heart is to encourage others to meet the challenges of life with the hope of Christ. Wherever you find yourself today – walking through the difficult, longing to find your identity and follow your purpose, or simply experiencing a season of beautiful chaos, Lori’s blog found at www.LoriSchumaker.com is a place where you can find the encouragement you need today. In her first book, she shares her family’s adoption story and lessons on surrender, trust, and loving well. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

 

 

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Surrendered Hearts: An Adoption Story of Love, Loss, and Learning to Trust is available for purchase here.

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