Ever have one of those days when your thoughts seem to be haunting you? Lately, those days have been frequent for me. I feel as though God has been working on me about confidence and my identity in Christ, but my own mind likes to self-sabotage. Life is changing rapidly for me, as I am finishing college and will be getting a real “adult” job. The class and internship work is piling up, and now I know what my friends meant by the term senioritis. All of this is a recipe for stress and opportunity, and that also means failure. And I hate failing. I really hate failing. As a perfectionist, I struggle with anxiety and self-esteem issues. But I know I’m not alone. There are so many people out there who struggle with anxiety and depression. As I’ve been praying to God about all of this, there is one word He has laid on my heart. Surrender. Surrender is the key to freedom, and it is also transforming. If you’re struggling with negative or haunting thoughts, then I urge you to keep reading about what surrender has taught me. Surrendering Our Broken Pieces I’ve been a serious Christian for a few years now, and I always thought that surrender just meant giving all of my plans and dreams to the Lord–to let Him have control of my future. But surrender is so much more than that. Yes, we should surrender our plans and our desires to the Lord. His plans are better than anything we could ever dream of. And when we trust in God, He will lead us on the most amazing journey ever. But there’s a lot more to surrender than just giving up the good parts of our lives. Pain, shame, sin, and fear. These are the things the enemy wants us to hold onto. This is how the devil keeps us in bondage. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV) When Jesus took up the cross and died for our sins, He also bore all of our shame and pain. All of the things that haunt us and hold us back from a great life are things He died to free us from. Christ died to nail our broken pieces to the cross. And He left an empty grave behind in order to fill the emptiness in our lives. (Like this post? SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL for more!) The Transformation of Surrender When we get stuck in our pain or fears, then we get wrapped up in ourselves. We start to feel bad about our lives, and then an evil menace seeps into our hearts. Pride. I know that when I have a bad day and think of all the mistakes I’ve made, I miss out on opportunities to do good things for others. When we get too wrapped up in ourselves, then we cannot fully serve the Lord. It’s the enemy’s trap, but we have the keys to freedom. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV) When we choose to follow Christ, we become new creations! We can surrender our pain and mistakes and choose to live a new life with God. None of us are perfect, and that is why Jesus died for us. This is what Easter is all about. The blood of Jesus covers us, and His grace is bigger than any of our mistakes. Each new day with God is a fresh start, and we can always choose to move forward in victory. But it all starts with surrender. Thanks for reading! I hope you have a blessed Good Friday and Easter. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below 🙂 SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL so you never miss a post! Connect with me on Instagram @fearfullywonderfullyme **I’m on Twitter!** Follow me @Emily_Susanne1