What If Surrender Isn’t Scary?

Today’s post is written by my friend Abby. In her book, Surrendering Certainty, she shares from a vulnerable place the idea of surrender. For me, this book has been a confident hand to reach out to during a time when I am feeling uncertain. 

Right now I have uncertainty in my writing life, in my ministry life, and in the future. My children are growing up and my oldest is about to graduate high school. There are so many questions and I really resonated with Abby when she said that she just wanted to know God’s will and what God’s path was for her life. 

Have you ever felt that way?

While reading Abby’s book I found so many great truths to rest upon. The most significant was the idea that I can trust God with my life. It seems simple, but Abby is wise and full of compassion when she points out that we often don’t trust God. 

If you want to surrender to God and trust His plan for your life, I encourage to you get Abby’s book. It will be just what your heart needs to let go and trust God. It really doesn’t matter if you are in a hard season or not, this book offers so much peace! 

Me too! While reading Abby’s book I found so many great truths to rest upon. The most significant was the idea that I can trust God with my life. It seems simple, but Abby is wise and full of compassion when she points out that we often don’t trust God. 

If you want to surrender to God and trust His plan for your life, I encourage to you get Abby’s book. It will be just what your heart needs to let go and trust God. It really doesn’t matter if you are in a hard season or not, this book offers so much peace!

Why We Can Trust God with Our Gifts

By Abby McDonald

“Don’t let fear be the deciding factor in your decision,” the author said on a popular podcast. The advice seemed so simple, and in my heart, I knew it was true. But why was it difficult to follow?

I asked myself how many decisions I made based on fear instead of confidence that God would help me. Many times, my inner voice asked what other people would think instead of trusting Him. Even though I knew He was asking me to take a step of faith, doubt became my guide instead of His love.

While I may never reach a place where fear does not influence my decisions, I know God’s voice can become louder.

When His voice becomes louder, I’m obedient to his leading, even when I’m afraid. My knowledge of who He is drowns the other voices telling me that He’s going to let me down.

A few months ago, I listened to a sermon on the parable of the talents. The parable was familiar, and at first my mind wandered. But then, the words came to life in a new way. I realized how different the first two workers were in their view of the Master. When the first worker reports to him, you can almost hear the joy and anticipation in his voice.

“The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘You entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’” Matthew 25:20 NIV

The language this worker uses conveys a knowledge that by giving him talents to invest, the Master was sharing his wealth and trusting him with something valuable. It’s as though he knows the Master wouldn’t have done this if he weren’t confident that he would use it wisely.

But when we get to the third worker, the view of the Master is completely different. It’s as though he’s describing another person, and his countenance is downcast.

“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.” Matthew 25:24 NIV

What a minute, is this the same Master? The trust and joy are replaced by a fear that the Master will treat him unfairly. While the first two accounts show a Master who wants to share his harvest, the last worker doesn’t see this. He sees someone who only wants to take.

As I listened, I saw the reason fear often leads us, even when our souls long to live a life of freedom.

Our view of who God is will always impact our willingness to use our gifts for Him.

If we view him as a hard man who is always looking for us to mess up or abandon us, we will likely hoard our gifts. If I’m honest, there have been long seasons of my life when I’ve viewed him this way. My experience with people I trusted filtered my perspective, and because they let me down, I assumed God would too.

But the more I approached him with an honest heart, the more I saw him as a gracious Father who gives in abundance. Slowly, my countenance became lighter as I realized we can use the gifts and resources He gives without hesitation, because He wants to multiply them and give us more.

Sometimes, we won’t see the harvest right away, like the workers did in the parable. It may take years of planting and not seeing fruit. But friend, when we work with God instead of resisting his leading, the harvest will come.

Abby wrote this book for you. If you’re tired of doubting, spinning your wheels, and hesitating rather than moving forward, Surrendering Certainty will meet you there. It is a call to every woman who wants to stop living in uncertainty and move toward a life of purpose and God-given confidence.

Abby is an author, editor, and writing coach with a passion for helping women get unstuck and respond to God’s voice in faith. Her books, Shift and Surrendering Certainty are part of her mission to empower believers to seek God in the middle of life’s messes and to share their faith with courage. Abby writes regularly for Proverb 31 Ministries’ daily devotions team, and her work has been featured in numerous publications. You can connect with Abby on her website where you can take her free 5 Days to Unstuck Challenge to help you shift your focus toward God.

Surrendering Certainty will show you:

• How to confidently discern God’s voice without constant second-guessing.
• Why decision-making is a spiritual act that strengthens faith.
• Biblical truths about letting go of control and trusting God’s promises for today.

If you’re looking for a clear, practical approach to hearing God’s voice and guidance to overcome fear so you can trust Him fully, this book is for you. Through real-life stories and deep biblical insights, you’ll learn a pathway to renewed confidence and clarity in your calling.