Challenged to Surrender.

Challenged.

That is the word my heart is feeling today.

The other day I was at Target…yes, my highly spiritual place. [smile] I really have had some spiritual things happen at the Target…just so you know.

Things like:

Daughter #2 getting smacked in the head with a buggy and almost passing out. There were a lot of Have Mercy prayers lifted up in that fine moment.

or

Running into people I haven’t seen in oh say…three years. [Mental note to self: do not go to Target after working out at the gym] Yet they speak some amazing truth to me. [Or deeply convict me for the need for a shower]

And let us not forget all the incredible clearance deals that brought the Hallelujah chorus to my head.

DEEP spiritual things y’all.

So, I wasn’t to surprised the other day when I arrived at destination Target and something strange happened in the parking lot.

I had just heard a teaching about the Holy Spirit. And, I had just written the post below about grieving the Holy Spirit. So, maybe my mind was in Holy Spirit seeking mode.

But I will just confess that I was at my wits end with my people in the parking lot. I mean, there was so much whining, grumbling, and scenes flashing in my mind from future psychology appointments about momma’s anger about the behavior in the Target.

It was simply…not a pretty picture.

I’m pretty sure there was a lot of grieving of the Holy Spirit on my behalf.

But I got into the car and just felt like…junk.

My phone was blowing up, the girls were still being impossible and I was desperately trying to open a container of animal crackers to hush feed them when…I saw it.

A beautiful white bird flying across my van.

And I do mean, back and forth.

Since I’m not a bird-knowing type of girl…I hesitate to say this but, I really thought it was a dove.

Now what would a dove being doing in the Target parking lot? That I’m not sure.

But it was white [and dove-like in appearance] and it was seriously flying back and forth over MY seemingly possessed car.

While watching it I was reminded of the dove and what it represented in the book of Matthew: The Holy Spirit.

The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God’s Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. -Matt 3:16

While watching that bird [dove…whatever it was], I noticed that it seemed like it was having a hard time landing. It seemed like he just couldn’t find his “spot” to land.

In that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Holy Spirit ever feels that way about us?

I mean, I know once we give our lives to God the Holy Spirit is with us. But I am talking about being able to really LAND on us.

What would our lives look like?

What if we got aggressive about letting God’s spirit land on our lives?

If words painted pictures, I am pretty sure this canvas would contain the words: challenged to surrender.

Surrender isn’t a one time thing. It really requires steps of obedience daily, maybe even momentarily.

In my anger…I am challenged to surrender.

In my insecurity…I am challenged to surrender.

In my hurt…I am challenged to surrender.

In my disbelief…I am challenged to surrender.

So today, I’m challenged to surrender more. To let God land on me more. I don’t want to shoo away his presence and his guidance that he so freely offers me.

Challenged to Surrender.