Sunday, January 11, 2009

What dying to yourself is really like.............

"Life is what happens when we allow ourself to die. To accept the death of our right to believe we're in control. Life is discovering that Grace waits at the end of our own personal resources, knowledge, and performance. Grace isn't the safety net God places beneath us as we attempt to master the high-wire trapeze of life. Grace is the ability to live as creatures that soar, no wires or nets required. Grace can't be earned or bartered for, nor do we eventually grow beyond it. We accept it. We grow in it! Our union with Christ clothes us in His Grace and what is true of us spiritually becomes more and more evident experientially. He lives in us and through us as we abandon our attempts to mimic authentic life." (quoting my dear friend and sister Jamie)
This simple quote is so profound to me. For many years of my Christian life I have heard the phrase, "die to yourself". I never fully understood this. What did it really mean? I think the way people meant it was more like you have to brace yourself, dig in your heels and work hard and serve and lay down your life like Jesus did. In other words, you had to work somehow in order to die to yourself. Die to your desires for the better good of others. And other such trains of thought. Since I have come to grace, or to Jesus himself, and a greater knowledge or should I say heart understanding of the Gospel, this phrase has puzzled me. "Die to yourself." Pick up your cross and die to yourself daily. What did it really mean? Well, today, Jamie has cleared the muddied waters in my mind on this issue. She summed it up so clearly and so simply that I just had to share. "Life is what happens when we allow ourselves to die. To accept the death of our right to believe we are in control."  Can it get any simpler than this, yet be as hard as hell at the same time? This is what true surrender is, "letting go and letting God." Some Christians don't care for that phrase. Wonder why? It's us letting go of the reigns and giving up trying so hard to live the life that we simply cannot live. Only HE can! It is a conscious effort, this letting go. We must surrender in our minds first, and give up trying and simply lean back into His arms and rest knowing that He's got it sorted. Him, not us!! 
And when we realize this, truly realize this truth, that we have to relinquish control knowing it's His life in us flowing through us, it's Him that will live the life and not us, it's then and only then that we begin to experience truly living. The life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God - who lives in me!! This is mind bogglingly amazing! The more His love and His life gets a grip on me, the more I live abundantly and freely. Free from lots of things that once bound me tightly with fear, which ultimately led to a life lived in a "box" mentality. But life in Him, is not restrictive like that, it's so freeing. I get to live out in the fresh air and breath deeply and see all the amazing breathtaking views..............Okay, now I am babbling away. I just want to celebrate though, don't you? This kind of dying is LIFE GIVING! Crazy, huh?

4 comments:

Alan Hiu said...

Grace is so wonderful... We cannot die to self under the Law as we behold ourselves. Grace points us to Jesus and melts us and makes us die effortlessly.

Awesome... This is from Him! I have a couple whom God brought to our midst to seek confirmation on their revelation of Grace. We did not speak much and they said the Lord had found them for over ten years and it took them ten years to find Him...!

How beautiful Grace can be...! Praise Him!

Jamie said...

Lyds,
I think you say what I wrestle to put into words so much BETTER!! Your words are luminous. I mean that sincerely. The Christ in you is so joyful, abundant, and free! Reading your words is like having liquid sunshine (Truth) poured on my soul. I think you're like David; your words are annointed.

Thank you for the blessing you are to me!

Love, love, love,
me :)

lydia said...

Alan

" Grace points us to Jesus and melts us and makes us die effortlessly."

YES! It's like the deepest breath of fresh air you ever took after what you really have been breathing all along was laced with undetectable poison...........He sure melted my heart when I found Him, after He of course had been pursuing me - like your friends!! It's just so good, I can't take it sometimes, I am having too much fun!!!

lydia said...

Jamie,

I shall outdo you with honor - you inspired this post, your words so fed me and brought revelation to me, by pouring out your heart! Thank you! And thank you for your encouraging words to me!! I like the sound of liquid sunshine, I want me some of that, guess I'll just have to head over to your place to get some :)

I think we bring out the Christ in each other, whaddya think!!!

Boy, I really am having way too much fun!!

Love to you xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo