SURRENDERELLA PART 5

Holding to our Precious Things

 

Over the past few blogs we have examined the challenges Surrenderella, whose married name is Princess Beloved, (even though she has not fully received her True Identity yet) has had.  First, she laid aside her authority, the crown, and the scepter. Secondly, she opened her old trunk and put on the old head rag she use to wear which represented her OLD Identity. We understand that in order for her to survive in her environment of rejection, abasement, and ridicule, she learned to become a Pleaser and a Performer which were flesh patterns she learned to live life from.

 

In Surrenderella’s trunk were also precious things, private things, painful things, and polluted things. When Surrenderella moved into the castle, just as she was, her Beloved Prince accepted her just as she was, knowing she had lived a life of a pauper or peasant; he was not deterred by that fact.

 

Today, let’s look into her trunk to examine the things she brought along with her. What are her Precious things?

 

 

Precious things are the things she held dear:

• Picture – of mom and dad wishing for the way things were or could have been
• Cleaning Brush – Her identity as housekeeper, caretaker, cook
• Blanket – (comforter) used to escape to and find comfort in
• Stuffed animal– I have someone or something that understands me
• Trunk – A place to hide her things
• Key to trunk – I am in control, it is all mine

 

As I reflected today on precious things, a song came to mind. You might remember these words:

 

Precious memories how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness, of the midnight
Precious sacred scenes unfold

Precious father, loving mother
Fly across the lonely years
And old home scenes of my childhood
In fond memory appears

I know some of us have wonderful memories of our childhood. We had a mother and father who loved each other and who loved the Lord; those memories were very precious. But, for some of us growing up, life was very difficult and painful. We longed for the touch and embrace of our parents and the joy of just knowing how much we were loved. Many of us lived in a fantasy world of ‘pretend.’ We pretended our home was a happy place, and that all was well with our parents. But the truth was, some of us lived in a hostile, fearful, rejection-filled, and anxiety-filled environment and we had many things we used to escape emotionally. Surrenderella also had a list of things that were precious to her. Things she used to escape the rejection of her stepmother and siblings. What was precious to you? What things did you use to hide in or withdraw to when you felt emotionally stressed, unloved, or afraid?

 

 Pictures

 Pictures are wonderful to recall precious moments in our lives. But, pictures can also be very painful if we use them to remember ‘when’ but try to relive or focus on those events or moments of yesteryear. I love to look at pictures to see how much I have changed over the years. But strangely enough, I never want to be a size 8 again. I live in a real world where I have changed emotionally, physically, and spiritually. The midlife season is almost over; it is time to move on with my new me in my new body into the last chapters of my life gracefully.

 

Pictures are wonderful to highlight moments in our lives, such as weddings, vacations, and birthday parties.  But, when we hold to them and wish today was like yesterday and don’t move from that place, we get stuck in the past rather than living fully in the present.

 

May pictures be what they are; a reminder of where we have been, who we were, and what experiences we had yesterday. Remember… yesterday is gone, Christ is our present reality, and that’s where He will always be.

 

 Cleaning Brush

 In our last blog, we looked extensively at the cleaning brush as Surrenderella’s old identity. Her identity as housekeeper, maid, caretaker, and cook is over. Yet, she still reminisces about what she used to be instead of who she is now. If she knew who she was, she would see in the palace there are servants to take care of her every need, and all she ever desired or wanted has been provided for because of her new identity as Princess Beloved. But she is too occupied with the old rather than the new. Does that sound familiar? We can still look at ourselves as worthless, needy, broken, empty, arrogant, or good enough because of our own efforts, and be deceived by the liar.

 

  Blanket

 Surrenderella’s blanket was her comforter. We all find comfort in something other than Christ. Christ and the Holy Spirit is our ultimate comforter but what do you find comfort in. Some choose to go shopping, food, social media, work, drinking, drugs, prescription medication, pornography, reading, television, outdoor activities, sports, etc. We all have something or even someone we escape to find comfort. But things and people can only pacify us but never really satisfy us. That is why some of these things become addictions, they were never ever meant to satisfy our souls… only Jesus was.

 

 Stuffed Animal

 Don’t laugh, but many of us still have our favorite stuff animals we’ve had since we were children. They were the friend we talked to and told all of our painful secrets to; they always seemed to understand us. Some of us have pets. They fill a place where loneliness lives. They can never erase the loneliness we feel, only Jesus can and will if we will let Him join us in those moments of loneliness. He came to FILL OUR SOULS because He has already filled our spirits.

 

 Trunk

 A trunk represents a place where we hide all our precious things in our minds. We all have a trunk even though we may not call it that. It is a place where we store our secrets. It is a place in our hearts where we cherish things. If anyone talks about them, try to change them, or try to take them from us, there will be war! There is a sign over the door that says, “Keep Out! Belongs to Me, not You.”

 

 Key

 The key to the trunk that holds Surrenderella’s precious things is in her control. Prince Beloved just watches at a distance, respecting her power to choose Him or not. Our Beloved Prince desires that we share the key to our trunk with Him. Unless He has control of our wills, He really doesn’t have us, even though He fully dwells in our spirits. This is the war between our spirits and our souls. Will I allow Jesus to have FULL CONTROL over EVERY PART OF MY LIFE or Will I?

 

We all have precious things in our lives that we cherish and are reluctant to let go of. Jesus, our Beloved Prince, watches patiently within us desiring that we trust Him and allow full reign in every room of our heart and soul. It will be a beautiful walk with “Freedom” each time we give Him, one precious thing at a time.

 

Prayer: Thank you, Papa, all we have is yours, but the truth is we have nothing. We brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing home with us. Teach us each day to let go of our precious things because You will fill those empty places when we do. Amen