Making the decision to yield can lead to physical and spiritual peace.
I was driving along the other day when I came to some railroad tracks with a yield sign. I chuckled to myself as I thought about the sign. Do drivers really need a yield sign in front of railroad tracks to remind them to yield to an oncoming train? Surely, that kind of thing is common sense. Right?
However, as I thought about it, I was reminded of the uncertainty that a yield sign causes my fifteen-year-old. I’ve been teaching her how to drive for around nine months now. Red lights and green lights are no problems. Stop signs are no problem. But, when we get a yellow light or a yield sign, she always asks what she should do.
“Can I go or should I stop?” she often asks at a yield sign. My answer is always the same, “Is anyone coming?” In other words, “Is the road clear for you to proceed?”
Failure to yield in a car can have disastrous consequences, so figuring it out is of utmost importance. But, as I thought about it a little longer, it occurred to me that yielding is really against human nature.
One of the definitions for yield is to give up or surrender. Surrender is also listed as a synonym.We don’t like the word surrender and we certainly don’t like to give up. We are taught those are bad things. Never give up! Never surrender! Aren’t those mantras to live by?
Maybe. But, sometimes if we refuse to yield, we could get run down by a train.
While not yielding physically can have immediate consequences that are tangible, failure to yield spiritually can be just as dangerous. Perhaps one of the most difficult concepts that many Christians wrestle with is obedience. The Bible tells us under no uncertain terms that we are to yield to God’s will. That’s obedience.
It gives us many examples of people who don’t yield, like Jonah and Saul and many who do like, Ruth, Elijah, and Joshua. The people who yielded to God’s will were always blessed in some amazing way.
This week is Holy Week and possibly the best time ever to ask ourselves what we need to yield to God. Do we need to surrender anger, or hurt, or finances, or doubt? Do we need to completely begin a new path altogether? Do we need to let go of some kind of guilt we have been carrying around? Do we need to simply pray about whatever is troubling us and say and mean, “Not my will but, yours be done”?
Some two thousand years ago this week, Jesus prayed those same words and his obedience to God’s will, saved us all.
If we are ready for more peace, joy and happiness, perhaps we need to seriously consider yielding to God’s will and His plan. It’s way better than one we could come up with anyway.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂