Surrendering

It's been sort of a whirlwind for me lately. I've been emotional all weekend. I was not against God, but I was sort of tired of the way He was handling things in my life. So although I still prayed and although I still read His word, my heart was not in the right place. At church yesterday, Pastor's sermon was about Heaven and Hell. Honestly, it didn't speak to me either way... I know where I'm going, and I have no doubts about it. It was actually the worship music, after the sermon, that got to me...

Lion Of Judah
You're the Lion of Judah, the Lamb that was slain,
You ascended to heaven and ever more will reign;
At the end of the age when the earth You reclaim,
You will gather the nations before You.
And the eyes of all men will be fixed on the Lamb Who was crucified,
For with wisdom and mercy and justice You'll reign
At Your Father's side.
And the angels will cry: 'Hail the Lamb
Who was slain for the world,
Rule in power.'And the earth will reply:
'You shall reign
As the King of all kings
And the Lord of all lords.'
There's a shield in our hand and a sword at our side,
There's a fire in our spirits that cannot be denied;
As the Father has told us for these You have died,
For the nations that gather before You.
And the ears of all men need to hear of the Lamb Who was crucified,
Who descended to hell yet was raised up to reign
At the Father's side.

That's powerful!
The other song that touched me:

In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death—This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.
(this last section is my favorite part!)

I changed my music to some more positive, worship music. Both these songs are on my play list. So listen to them, if you'd like!
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I have the day "off" today. I purposely didn't plan anything so I could get things done, relax, and enjoy the day. Too bad it's a rainy day and I won't be able to hang laundry outside or get any yard work done. Oh well!

I read Ecclesiastes 3 last night:

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heavenC2 A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up.4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance.5 A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.6 A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away.7 A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak.8 A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.9 What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? 10 I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; 13 moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor, it is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. 15 That which is has been already, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.

What a wonderful reminder of how God is in control, not me. So I sat back and realized that although I've given my heart and life over to Jesus... I still have areas where I can surrender. Areas that I cannot change or control. Areas that are in God's hands. And you know what? That is a GOOD thing! He took my burdens so I won't have to carry them (He must know how many there are!). Praise God!
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I wanted to put pictures up that I took last week when I took my "big girl" nieces to the park. It's kind of funny, if I can do it in a story/song format. They are really into The Sound of Music and most of the time they were singing or telling me about the movie. So the pictures go along with that. Stay tuned! Maybe later today!