Surrendering My Splashy Mess

Every morning, I begin my workday with the same routine. I unlock the door of my office, drop my keys and purse on my desk, and head straight to the dehumidifier in the far corner. I’m lucky enough to work in a wonderful 100-year-old stone building complex that I lovingly refer to as “the first castle on the right.” Oh, but how that stone loves to hold on to moisture, and of course our humid Georgia weather is only happy to provide a constant supply.

So, my typical day begins not with a computer boot-up but with a water pour out. I wrestle the reservoir from the dehumidifier and carefully make my way down the hall to the large sink in the janitor’s closet.

This daily task sprang to mind when I read Psalm 62:8: “Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”

See, if I don’t tackle the chore of emptying the water on a regular basis, it can grow stagnant, and my office may become unbearably oppressive. That’s not unlike my heart when I don’t pour out my feelings to God and ask Him to dry up the mirky, boggy spots that have appeared.

And the dance of the dehumidifier is a delicate balance. On the one hand, I must walk carefully and slowly as I’m moving down the hall lest I splash water everywhere and make a mess. But once I’m at that deep sink that’s capable of handling the outflow, I can release the water quickly and completely.

My feelings are like that, too. When I struggle against the weight of striving and trying to do all the right things in my own power, I’m almost surely going to make a splashy mess. Just yesterday at work, I found myself spun up into a frenzy because all of the things on my to-do list weren’t getting done with the speed I thought should be possible.

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So I splashed the messy frustration all over my coworkers and in my internal dialogue, too. Water, water everywhere, and none of it was healing and cleansing.

What was missing was the next step on our path to rest. Before I get there, let’s recap quickly the first two steps.

The R in rest reminds us to

Realize

we were designed for something different than all of the rushing and harriedness. We were made for

Relationship

with God and given the right to be adopted as His children when we put our faith in Jesus.

The E teaches us to

Evaluate

our circumstances by the

Eternal

Once we’ve done these things, we’re ready for the next step. The letter S reminds us to:

Stop Striving

and

Surrender

by Submitting to God’s Supreme Authority

When I realize His timing is perfect and the path He has planned for me is better than the one I might want to finagle my way into, I can rest. I can take the heavy load of my emotions, my to-do list, and my spun-up anxiety and pour it out before God. He’s not afraid of the mess, and I’m going to be much more pleasant to be around when I’ve allowed Him to deal with the gunk that’s accumulated in my heart.

Our verse in Psalms adds that God is a refuge for us. I did a quick Google search to find out more about what that word means: refuge. One definition says, “something providing shelter,” but I think there’s so much more there. We’re given not only shelter but also protection from the elements – including the storms that rage around us. When we come to God and pour out our hearts, we admit we need Him and hand over control. And we are protected from danger. Trouble can’t get to us, and we are safe from our enemies. Even if our circumstances don’t change, we are secure because we are tucked under the wing of our Father who loves us so deeply.

So today and every day, I encourage you – and me – to surrender. Stop striving in our own power and truly accept God’s gift of rest. We weren’t made to walk through life carrying reservoirs of the stagnant waters of our soul. Pour it out to Him and trust Him to work out all things for our good.

We weren’t made to walk through life carrying reservoirs of the stagnant waters of our soul. Pour it out to Him and trust Him to work out all things for our good.

Lord, help us to trust you with the burdens we carry. Remind us again and again that we can pour out our hearts to you, the One who designed us, created us, and loves us best. Help us live in your rest as we find a true refuge in you.