Many people begin the new year by picking a word that perhaps suggests the direction in which they want their year to go, a goal they want to accomplish or a trait they want to portray. After lots of prayer as to what I wanted my "word" to be, I landed upon a phrase that I wished to choose instead. The phrase I decided I want to center 2018 around is "give it all to God".

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” Romans 15:13

Perhaps you have heard the phrase "let go and let God". This phrase, although considered cliche and overused, actually has the potential to provide complete life change, that is if we decide to follow it and wholeheartedly pursue a life in which we give it all to God.

What does it look like to "give it all to God"?

I wish I had the complete and perfect answer to this question and could tell you I was living it out but turns out, it is hard as heck to do but I can tell you, the past couple of days of praying on it has given me a bit of an idea of what this life would look like. It is one where we trade every worry and anxiety in for complete, unwavering trust in God. It means tossing aside our own plans and agendas, for the extraordinary intricate path God has for us. It is one where we pray and listen for God's response before making difficult decisions.

What will life begin to look like if I choose to surrender it all to Him?

Again, a question I don't have a complete answer to, but I imagine it would begin to look pretty hopeful, beautiful and joyful. God's biggest desire is for us to completely surrender our hearts and our souls to Him. If we were to truly successfully accomplish this, I would imagine the rewards would be infinite. I imagine this would be a life with a lot less worry, anxiety, unknown, and brokenness. Instead it would be filled with trust, love, hope and fullness.

So how exactly do I "give it all to God"?

My personal plan of action to accomplish my goal of living out this phrase, is to pray harder than I even have before, to lift every single uncertainty and worry up to Him. I hope to lean less on my tendency to plan based on my own hopes and desires, but instead follow the path that is set before me, provided by Him. I know this will not be easy and I will need to be held accountable, but I also know that the reward will be worth the investment.

I certainly am still learning and praying on this idea but these are the thoughts and actions that have been brought forth in my time prayer so far. I hope that the year of 2018 is one of complete surrender and trust in the one who knows all things. My pastor posed this question which changed everything for me, "what are you not willing to give up for the one who gave you everything?"

"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it" Matthew 16:25