Yield

The word YIELD on a traffic sign tells drivers to slow down, be prepared to stop to allow other vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists to go first. It is a warning sign to be cautious of what is ahead. The yield sign unlike the stop sign, doesn’t bring you to a halt, it just signals you to slow down & be aware of your present situation. Yesterday as I was pulling into the Tanger Outlet Malls to buy the perfect pair of Kate Spade shoes. (When I say perfect, y’all! My wardrobe needs them, my algorithms say, I NEED them. AND I held off for 3 days, but they kept calling my name.) Sorry, I digress, as I pulled into the parking spot, the song YIELD by John Reddick came on. I had never heard it, or maybe I have never paid attention to it, but yesterday it spoke to me loud & clear. I felt very convicted about the purchase I was about to make. But, if you know me, I went into full on negotiations. “God, it’s just shoes.” “God, they are so pretty.” Do you think I put the car in reverse & left. NOPE! Sure didn’t. I told myself, I am just gonna go try them on & prove to myself I didn’t need them. So, I walked right into that store asked for my size 7 & proceeded to try them on. I wish I could tell you that they were very uncomfortable, but they were quite the opposite. They were perfect. They hugged my feet like they were welcoming me home. As I sat there debating on whether to buy the shoes or not buy the shoes I knew in my heart that it wasn’t necessarily about the shoes as this was another one of those obedience tests that God likes to play with me. I had a decision to make. I placed the shoes back in the box, took them to the cashier & told her just how beautiful they were & how much I wanted them, but today was not the day. This is where God has jokes, as I looked down at her feet, guess what shoes she was wearing!?!?!? The very shoes I had just declined. I told her again how much I loved them, but that God had other plans for me that day. She told me she understood & I walked out of the store & back to my car. As I walked back to my car, that song kept coming to mind, but I had no idea who sang it or even what the words had said. I just knew that they had spoken to me in a very real and convicting way. When I got back in my car, the song was still playing. I am not a technical person, I have no idea how, but I was so grateful to be able to fully listen to the lyrics. The lyrics,

“If anything I do

It doesn’t bring glory to You

Lord, I surrender, I surrender

If anything I own

It isn’t Yours and Yours alone

Lord, I surrender, I surrender,

I give You full reign

Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit

Whatever You say, I will do it, I will do it

I yield, I yield,I yield my life to You

I yield, I yield, I yield it all to You”

Several years ago, my word of the year was surrender. He thought I needed to keep practicing it, so He gave it to me two years in a row. Yesterday, I feel it was His gentle reminder of that sweet surrender. Those shoes….They wouldn’t bring God Glory & no matter how much I tried there is no way I could have convinced Him or myself that He would even want them to be His. HA! Yesterday, He wanted my heart. Every day He wants our hearts. This morning as I listened to the Worship Initiative they talked about Jeremiah 9:23-24. “This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love & who brings justice & righteousness to the earth, & that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!” They went on to talk about people that like to boast. Regardless of what they are boasting about, if it does not bring Glory to the Lord, it isn’t worth boasting about. When I was trying to justify that shoe purchase, I was thinking about how good they would make me feel. How amazing they would make my outfits look. It was about me, not HE👆🏼. Yesterday, God gently reminded me that nothing here on this side of Heaven, other than Jesus, will ever be worth boasting about. Not even the perfect pair of shoes! ♡ - Donna