Weekly Magazine | Surrendering What You Can't Change
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Dear Friends,
There’s something most of us have in common: we’re holding on too tight.
Maybe it’s a relationship that isn’t going the way you hoped, a dream that keeps getting deferred, or even a person you love who isn’t changing the way you’ve been praying they would. Whatever it looks like, that white-knuckled grip is exhausting.
This week, we're talking about surrender. Not waving a white flag in defeat, but opening our hands to a God who is more than capable of holding what we keep trying to carry. Three women share their stories of letting go, and what they found on the other side.
While we all figure out how to surrender to our Lord a bit better, we want to remind you of how glad we are that you’re here with us.
Encouraging you in God’s truth,
Surrendering What You Can't Change | Dianne McKim
When Dianne realized she'd been keeping a mental scorecard of her husband's spiritual shortcomings, God interrupted her grumbling with a gentle conviction, and a surprising redirection. A vulnerable, honest story about releasing control and finding your true calling on the other side.
Choosing Surrender | Lori Ann Wood
From a capsized canoe to a chronic illness diagnosis, Lori Ann has learned that the hardest thing a fighter can do is let go. She offers five practical, grace-filled ways to loosen your grip and trust God with the outcome.
Lessons from the Valleys | Linda Kline
After months of surgeries, pain, and uncertainty, Linda shares the honest, sometimes funny, hard-won wisdom that carried her through. Not a tidy list of answers, just the testimony of a woman held by the One who never let go.
Also:
The NIV Illustrating Bible helps you interact with Scripture by giving you room to journal your thoughts, reflections, and insights right alongside the Bible verses that inspired them. The large size and spiral-bound format allow the Bible to lay completely flat, giving you the ideal surface for writing and drawing. It’s the perfect way to engage with God’s Word and deepen your faith.
Surrendering What You Can’t Change
When God’s Plan Is Different Than What You Expected.
By Dianne McKim
I was grumbling again.
I sat in my car, hands gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly, running through the mental list of everything my husband wasn’t doing. We were about two years into our second marriage—both of us bringing baggage from our pasts, both of us trying to figure out how to build something new without letting old wounds dictate our future.
But in that moment, I wasn’t thinking about grace or patience or the complexities of blending two broken histories into one hopeful future. I was thinking about my expectations—and how he wasn’t meeting them.
Cage of Expectations
I had this picture in my mind of what a godly husband should look like. He should want to pray together every day. Read Scripture with me before bed. Be excited—genuinely excited—about midweek services. Stand strong as the spiritual leader I expected him to be. Show up engaged and engrossed during Sunday worship, not just going through the motions.
But he wasn’t checking those boxes, and I was keeping score.
The list kept growing in my head: Why doesn’t he initiate prayer time? Why do I always have to suggest reading the Bible together? Why isn’t he more passionate about his faith—at least in the ways I thought he should be?
