The work load on my additional teaching certification had been exhausting. Early mornings. Teaching all day. Late nights. Work. Work. Work. Research, writing, documentation, assessment. Blah, blah, blah. I was tired.
Finally, the day came that only one thing stood between me and total peace:
I had to click submit.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard. My mind hovered there, too. I stared at the instructions on the screen which were beginning to loom larger: CLICK SUBMIT
The moment I had been waiting for was here. Ready? Set? No matter how much my head — and my heart — told me to submit, I could not make myself do it.
I stopped hovering. I got up. I walked away.
Clicking submit would be letting go. While hovering there, I still felt that I had control.
It made no sense. I had the power to submit. There was nothing I wanted to do more than submit. I knew my life would improve if I would submit. So, why was it so hard?
Thankfully, there was a midnight deadline, so I did not have much choice. Hours later, I had to try again. Deep breath. As my fingers hovered, I prayed, “Lord, here it comes. I’m giving it up.” I clicked submit.
If I had only realized what was on the other side of submit from the beginning… it would have happened much sooner.
The second I gave up the “stuff” that had been controlling me, peace came. Freedom arrived. Life felt joyful again.
The word “submit” can mean to accept or yield to the authority of a superior force. I love that definition — because my superior force is God.
Why submit to God? Because James 4:7 instructs us to do just that: Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (That is a great promise!)
God knows what is best for us. We don’t.
God can do more with our lives than we can. We need to let Him.
So, why do we hold back? Not trusting? Living in fear? Afraid of losing control?
The only way to reach places we have never been for God — or to do things we have never done for God — is to submit to His direction in our lives. And…we may also need to submit to previous guidance before we can receive new guidance.
Charles Spurgeon, known as the prince of preachers, surely was correct when he said that we are not far from the gates of heaven when we submit to God’s will.
Lord, help us submit to You. Help us to know what You want us to do. Amen
Ready? Click. Submit.

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com