Finding Joy In Surrender, Letting Go Of Control

Introduction

It is easy to lament our circumstances and to cry about how unfair life is rather than to pick up our bed and take responsibility and ownership of our circumstances. There is a perverse pleasure that the human soul finds in complaining and bemoaning the circumstances we're in. This pleasure comes from the fact that, as long as we are victims, nothing is required of us, and we are allowed to justify our misery. It is only by taking responsibility and ownership of our circumstances that we can truly find joy and happiness in life. Jesus exemplified this and took on the responsibility of the world and the sins of the world, doing so not with a self-pitying bemoaning sigh but with a happy heart; He gladly bore our sins. He did so willingly without complaint. I am convinced that no man ever laughed or had as much fun as Jesus did, and he did that while taking on the responsibility of the whole world with a happy heart; he loved those around him and gave them peace and hope. Christianity was not attractive because it gave us more rules. Christianity was and is attractive because it alone leads to a truly happy, joy-filled life. 

I have written on this idea often, but it is an idea I can not escape. This week, I started yet another book. This one is called "The Man Nobody Knows" by Bruce Barton. This book focuses on the humanity of Jesus. I really enjoyed watching The Chosen because Jesus is portrayed as a "man" who laughs and jokes with His disciples as they journey together. As I continue to ask what it means and looks like to be "Biblically Masculine" and a "Good man." One of the things that I never really spent much time thinking about is how much fun Jesus must have had during His ministry. I don't doubt there were hard days, and I know well the story of how He suffered, but I have often not considered how much fun Jesus must have had healing the hurting and watching them come to life in a new and glorious way. I can only imagine the fun they must have had laughing and joking together. Jesus did not go about each day hanging His head because of the suffering that He knew lay ahead.

"Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer, and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

As I was reading this book, I found myself thinking of Jesus in a new light and thinking about how fun it must have been going on an adventure with Him. Jesus was charged with being a drunkard and a glutton (Matthew 11:19) because He enjoyed life.

Jesus taught a very different message than that of the Pharisees. He taught a message that was attractive and inviting. He taught a message of freedom from sin. The Pharisees came with a list of prerequisites before they could come before God. Jesus came, and He simplified it and made it so easy to grasp that even a child could understand. His message was to repent and believe. There were no ceremonies, and there was no need for putting on makeup and cleaning up before you could come and join Him in the true joy of life. This is the simple truth of the gospel.

This is a message I need to remember as someone who has a natural bent toward legalism and works-based righteousness. I have to remind myself often that there is nothing I can do to earn the favor of God, nor can I earn a higher degree of love from Him. For me, it is easy to get into a mental space where I think, "If I just do this thing," then maybe finally I will be worthy of love, or if I achieve this degree of success, then maybe I will be accepted. Here's the thing: this idea to me is an appealing one. I like the idea of being able to earn it because that means I have control. I can do it on my own and through my own ability. The fact that I can not earn my salvation is, in my human sensibility, "disempowering" because it creates dependence, and I don't want to be dependent; I WANT to be independent and self-sufficient.

Ephesians 2: 6-10: "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

My inner man wrestles with God in this. I naturally want to be able to say, "I did it, I earned it," and God, knowing this, takes this from me, from all of us, because He knows in our fallen state, we naturally wrestle against dependence on Him. This is a wrestling tension I also struggle with in my human relationships. I feel the need to earn the affection of those around me. I, by default, lean toward wanting to make myself worthy of love and affection. I share this not so that others will feel sorry for me; I share this as a confession of my desire to control my environment. It is far easier to think that the degree to which I am loved or unloved is within my power. If I desire someone to love me, I simply have to become good enough to be worthy of their affection. I think this is a natural inclination we feel as human beings. In my mind, the root cause of this tension is a desire for "control." To have autonomy over the things that happen in my life.

The Book of Job

I recently decided to read through the books of wisdom from the Bible. Currently, I am reading through the book of Job. As I read it, I realized that this was a battle that Job, too, was wrestling through. He was a righteous man, and he defended his claim of innocence against his friends who accused him of sin because of the circumstances he found himself in, saying that it was his fault that this calamity had befallen him because of some hidden sin. He denies their accusations, and he cries out to God, seeking to understand why these bad things have occurred. He pleads his case, saying that he does not deserve this punishment that has befallen him. And I relate to him in this that often things don't seem fair. Why do bad things happen to us when we feel we've done nothing to "deserve" it? It is a question that we want answered because, in our vanity, we think we "deserve" good things. The book of Job does not end with an answer to his question of "why," but it does end with a solution.

The question "Why do bad things happen to good people?" is ancient. It is the core question in my eyes that Job is seeking to be answered. The book of Job opens with the devil coming before God. The devil accuses Job of following God only because of his material blessings. God then allows the devil to "test" this claim. And as you read through the book, you can sense this tension. I can imagine myself in Job's shoes, and I can see myself asking these questions: Why do I follow God? Have I not earned His affection? Have I not done what is right? Do I not deserve better than this? God, did I not do (control) what is needed to receive these blessings?

The beauty of this book to me is that as Job is wrestling with these questions throughout the book, in the end, we see that Job did not sin against God. The devil is shown to be wrong, and Job chooses to follow God no matter his circumstances. Reading through this book of wisdom, I can see in myself the same wrestling desire to be able to control and understand the circumstances of life and to have an answer to those prayers yet unanswered. At the end of the book, Job finds that in life, there are things beyond our control, and we will often be left without an answer.

Matthew 5:45 That you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

I would encourage everyone to read the verse in its full context. But this idea of "the sun shines on the evil and the good." It is one that we are often uncomfortable with because it leaves us without an answer and without control. It leaves us dependent on God, and we, just like Job, get to decide if we will be faithful and righteous with and without the control of the outcomes of life. Are we willing to say our vows to the Lord "for better or worse," or only commit to Him "for better?" Will I only follow Him when I get what I ask for and what I want? Or will I follow Him no matter the final result?

Job did not know what the final result would be. Job did not know that his wealth would be restored to him. But he chose to say that no matter what the final result was, he would follow the Lord. So, too, I hope to follow. I do not know what the final result will be, nor do I know if my prayers will be answered as I have asked them. I can only surrender them to Him and say, no matter the results, I will follow, and I surrender control.

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