The secret of life
Is letting go.
The secret of love
Is letting it show
In all that I do,
In all that I say,
Right here in this moment.
 
The power of prayer
Is in a humble cry.
The power of change
Is in [yielding] my life
And laying it down,
Down at Your feet,
Right here in this moment.
 
This songwriter beautifully, truthfully captures the secret to Christian living. It applies to all of us across the spectrum of life—young and old, women and men, followers and leaders, daughters, mothers, sisters, wives. Amy Carmichael puts it this way:
 
But all through life I see a cross,
Where sons of God yield up their breath.
There is no gain except by loss;
There is no life except by death.
 
What does surrender to God ultimately mean? What concepts does it carry into our lives as we seek to walk it every day? It’s helpful to lay groundwork at the start of our discussion. Please muse with me for a moment. Read slowly and ponder.

Start each day praising the Lord for His lovingkindness & End each day praising Him for His faithfulness
“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High: to show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night... For Thou, LORD, hast made me glad through Thy work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands. O LORD, how great are Thy works! and Thy thoughts are very deep.” from Psalm 92

I have been reflecting much lately on the mercies of God. Truly, they are new every morning and His compassions never fail! To commence my day praising the Lord and end it equally joyful is a mighty refresher as I spend the in-between time serving Him! It also aids me in maintaining a Christ-centered perspective. We are glad to do His work and we will triumph in His hands!
 
 
Remember that you are a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ & should Delight in doing His Will from the Heart
“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.” Ephesians 6:5-8
 
Who we serve makes all the difference, girls!  Do we serve Him in singleness of heart? Consider what an honor it is to be called a servant of Christ and live out that honor each day. It is a truly marvelous thought. Also, are we serving Him with our hands and our heart? He wants both! As we give Him our heart, the hands will follow along quite pleasantly. Fulfilling God’s will for our lives is very serious and it should come from a heart intent on pleasing Him. Your labor is not in vain in the Lord—He will reward you!
 
 
Take time to be refreshed...physically, emotionally, and spiritually;
Rest on the Lord's Day
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” Psalm 46:10-11
 
I have learned that there should be moments (and occasional seasons) of rest. Even the physical upkeep of our bodies (the temple of the Holy Spirit) is important. Allow the Lord to minister to you during moments of discouragement, just as He did for Elijah. Remember that you are not alone. Without a respite, the journey was too much for Elijah, one of God’s most devoted servants (1 Kings 19). He, too, needed to be refreshed in the Lord and have physical needs met. The effectiveness of our service to the Lord is in direct proportion to how much we allow Him to fill us with Himself. Daily personal time with the Lord is an absolute necessity! Faithful attendance to your local church--preaching of God’s Word, worshipping the Lord, and rich fellowship--is also very important. Be sure to rest as much as possible on the Lord’s Day, setting aside each Sunday to honor Him.
 
 
Make every duty of service to your King, something to be thoroughly enjoyed
“He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.” Proverbs 29:21
 
“I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8
 
We are more than servants; we are daughters of the Most High, joint heirs with Christ! His gentleness as He tenderly teaches and guides makes us great (Psalm 18:35). Since God is our Father as well as our King, learn to really delight in doing His work. Make the jobs fun. You might not always do what you like, but you can like everything you do. Think of practical ways to make your service more enjoyable--a pretty apron, background music or singing, enlisting help, keeping written records of your service journey...be creative and enjoy every minute!
 
 
 
Establish godly friendships with family and others who will encourage you as you serve the Lord
 “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by
hearty counsel.” Proverbs 27:9
 
The Lord is the only One we ultimately need, but He delights in using His children to encourage one another. He did not intend for us to walk alone. Surround yourself with encouragement through family, friends, mentors, books, and sermons that will point you back to the Lord as you serve Him.
 
Keep your eyes on the Anchor of your soul...Jesus, the Author & Finisher of your faith
“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 24-25
 
As servants of the Lord, we long to be faithful all our days. The key is to look unto Jesus, Who is working through us, the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is faithful!! Hebrews 12:1-3

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall
it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot
be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” —Matthew 5:13–16

“We could really use your help at the children’s ministry next week,” a friend mentioned as we stood on the church sidewalk. “Are you available?”
   
​I had volunteered for this particular conference in the past. However, that summer was one of the busiest of our lives, with various other ministry projects piling up and the three youngest members of the family still in diapers. “I’m sorry I can’t help out this year,” I smiled to my friend, “but, you know, God has given me a ‘children’s ministry’ in our own home right now!” We both laughed.

What do you think are the most desired qualities in a wife and mother? That she can cook a mouth-watering roast? Or bake up scrumptious scones? Or maybe keep the home neat as a pin? Maybe running a household of ten smoothly? Or maybe being able to knit a cardigan, teach seven homeschoolers, and feed the baby all at the same time?! All these skills are wonderful and would be greatly appreciated by a husband :), but the most important thing as we prepare to be a godly wife and mother is…

our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”  ~Psalm 27:14
 
Singleness can be such a lonely, discontented period for many young women.  However, it doesn’t have to be that way! An attitude of discontentment is an inward problem of the heart.  Instead of looking outward for things that will change our circumstances, we must look inward and change the condition of our hearts.  Our Heavenly Father wants us to rejoice always, in all circumstances, and through all trials that get thrown our way.  We don’t have the “right” to pick and choose, we must rejoice in all things in order to follow in the footsteps of our Savior.  Joy and contentment are choices, not emotions, which is why the Apostle Paul wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.”  

When I think back on my single years, I am thankful.
  
Thankful that God is sovereign.
  
​I am amazed at how every detail of my life, family, decisions, was purposefully preparing me for the future. I didn’t know it at the time. I wasn’t always feeling a whole lot of gratitude for my circumstances, but still—despite me—God had a plan.

It’s been a rough morning. First, you wake up to the mixed noise of your two-year-old brother throwing a fit and your dog greeting his fellow canines through the fence (in other words, barking as loud as he can), causing you to develop a headache.  Next, you walk downstairs to find your dad eating the last of the breakfast muffins you had been craving and your younger sister (who’s the same size as you) wearing your favorite shirt--which is now already a bit stained with orange juice, without asking. Finally, after much chaos, everyone piles into the car to head to church. Unfortunately, most of the ride is ruined by your two older siblings arguing about whose turn it was to change the baby’s diaper this morning. This duty actually never got done, explaining why the car smelled the way it did! Amidst these adverse circumstances, and before you move on with your day, you have one key choice to make. Either, to yell at everyone to be quiet, apologize, and get it together; or, choose the harder, yet life-giving path--to forgive. We find this exhortation in the book of Ephesians.

“Tying or binding up—captivating.” This is the meaning of the name, Rebekah, a girl found in the Bible. Rebekah was not only beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well. “...For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”—1 Samuel 16:7b

Right now we are going to take a peek into Rebekah’s heart as a young woman...