This past Friday I went to go see Oprah on her tour: The Life You Want. Now, to be honest, I never really had watched much of Oprah back when she had her show. Except for a few of those "Oprah's Favorite Things" episodes. Those always caught my attention. I mean, who couldn't wait to see what amazing gifts Oprah was going to throw out next?? "You get a beach house!!! Evvvvverybody is getting a beach hoooouse!!!!" (Okay, maybe not that huge, but a girl can dream). Anyways, that Friday she was going to come out and speak for 2 hours and I wasn't really sure what to expect. In the end, not only did I have a great night, but I walked away with a new respect for her. I came away learning a lot, and also with a good deal of musing to do over the weekend. First of all, it turns out Oprah was basically a young child prodigy. I mean, check out that spelling inventory she had mastered by her first day of Kindergarten.
I'm pretty sure I was proud just to be spelling my own name! It was something she said later; though, that really stuck in my mind and began to churn. She was talking about a time in her own life when she really wanted a role in the movie The Color Purple. In fact, she became so convinced she wasn't going to get it, and that this was due to her being "fat", even though no one had said anything of the sort, that she sent herself to a "fat farm" with the goal of losing 40 pounds in 2 weeks. No, I'm not misquoting this! Long story short, she realized that she had become overly consumed with her desire to get the role and she needed to surrender the situation to God. It was at this point that she said "So many people view surrender as this (shoulders hunched, sinking into the ground, look of defeat on the face), but really surrender is this (arms raised up high in release, with a content, and peaceful, smile). The realization kind of struck me across the head that I was definitely in that "so many people" category more often than I care to admit. And, if I believe in nothing or no one outside my own capability than I could justify that...I certainly have a lot to offer as everyone does, but God hasn't granted me access to perform miracles just yet. But, that's the thing. I don't believe in myself alone. I have a Savior that I claim to believe in, and that changes everything. Does that mean that I'm going to understand every outcome, or that everything is going to be "easy peasy lemon squeezy" as my first graders enjoy saying? No. It definitely does not. It DOES; however, mean that in the end every single situation will work out for good...for God's good AND for my good. And, even if I don't understand it at the time, and it isn't my picture of good, who I am to possibly challenge if my way or God's way is the better way? I may only be 26, but I've begun to rack up my own series of life experiences, and in that collection there have been some that were pretty painful. But, there is not a single one that I can't look back on and find God's hand of direction somewhere in the outcome. When I reflect on that, why waste my time trying to control things that are inevitably out of my control? That's not to say I condone being a lazy bum, but at some point you have to accept you've done all you can do and surrender the rest to Him. When I reflect on God's grace, and love, in every difficult situation in my life, that surrender all of a sudden becomes so much more light, beautiful, and full of relief to be honest. So, thank you Oprah. For showing me a wonderful truth on something I often have lost sight of along the way. I feel a little lighter, already :).
No comments:
Post a Comment