When friction is highest, surrender and act; when friction ceases, surrender and pause.
Spiritual Rhythms is a time designed for us fellows to step back, be present with God, and rest in Him. As I entered Spiritual Rhythms, I had the opportunity to read “Habits of Grace” by David Mathis. Mathis outlined what spiritual disciplines are, which practices are and aren’t spiritual disciplines, and why they are necessary for pursuing God. While reading this book, the word “surrender” stayed ever present on my mind. This idea of surrender made itself the focal point of my week. When you think of “surrender,” you generally think of giving up something physical: food, water, caffeine, phones, etc. This is what I thought, but while this is true, the Lord showed me a deeper layer to surrender.
Walking into Spiritual Rhythms, feeling the need to surrender as much as I could to God, I saw the need to fast. Fasting can range from the general understanding of food and sometimes water to technology. Impact 360 sets forth the (required) opportunity that this be a technology fast. That’s one thing already surrendered, but something about that felt empty to me. So I wondered, “What could I give up to enable me to lean on God more this week?”
So, armed with a new list of things to surrender, I struggled through day one, praying whenever my mind wandered toward the list of things I had surrendered. Moving on to day two, the day with the six hours of silence and solitude, I was feeling good and confident in how my fast was going. Now imagine looking up, staring into a canopy of trees, praying, peaceful and restful, right? Well, yes, very, but I realized how wrong my heart posture was. It struck me that God wanted me to lean on Him and surrender things to Him out of Love for Him, and not to try to earn anything from it. God’s grace is sufficient, and His Love passes all understanding. That right there was the type of surrender God wanted me to see.
Not necessarily the giving up of something physical, but surrendering my will, my plans, my expectations of how things should go, and instead trusting in God’s plans and resting in the fact that He will work all things for good.
Declaring that surrender and believing it for myself was a struggle for me. Accepting the grace that God had for me came easily, but giving myself that same grace was not so easy. So when I hit that friction, I dug into God’s goodness. Praying a simple breath prayer: breathing in “God, your grace is sufficient,” and breathing out “Lord, help me have that same grace for myself.”
When friction is highest, surrender and act; when friction ceases, surrender and pause. My friction was not with picking up, but with letting go and surrendering my thoughts to God, resting and trusting that it is in His hands. Coming back into life at Impact Fellows, I am trusting the Lord, leaning on Him, for He is good.
James Martin, Class of 2027
We believe that when a student is rooted in truth, they become a catalyst for the Kingdom wherever they go. Help us continue to forge disciples who possess the resolve to stay faithful and the tools to make disciples. Your investment in the Multiply Fund makes this transformation possible.