Aloha!
My name is Amy, and I am from Nova Scotia, Canada. I am currently a DTS student here at YWAM Maui. I have just been thriving here these past few weeks, and God has been teaching me so much. Life on base is so great. I love the YWAM Maui community. The staff and students have all become my “YWAM Fam” and I know it sounds cliché, but this place is truly always filled with love and laughter.
The theme for our school is surrender. Every week it seems that the Lord is challenging me to surrender something new. At first, surrender seemed really scary. I didn’t want to give God complete control of my future plans, my security, or my family. I also didn’t want to let go and give Him my insecurities, shame, and the lies that I tell myself. I wanted to keep it all locked away in my heart. I felt like all these things were too big for me to leave in his hands. But the Lord has been showing me that by surrendering these things to him, He will give me life, and life abundantly. Everything I surrender to Him, He trades for something so much better.
The Lord has specifically been asking me to surrender my plans to Him. In Maria’s words, I was “the YWAMer who came with a plan.” I came to YWAM to have a season to seek the Lord before returning to my plan of pursuing education and a career. I thought I would give this year to God, travel, have some good memories, and then I would go home and continue on with all my plans. I wanted Him to follow me on my path, but I wasn’t willing to follow Him on His path.
As I have been wholeheartedly seeking the Lord during my time here, He has been revealing His plan for my life which is far better than the one I had come with. During a worship morning, the Lord gave me a picture. There were two doors, and both of them were open. One door was my plans and the other door was God’s plan for me. He left them both open because it was my choice; I was still allowed to choose my plans over His. Then I heard Him say “Amy I’ve got bigger things for you than your own plans.”
Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”
As I’ve been seeking the Lord, He has been revealing Himself to me more and more. He has also been showing me a little bit of what His plan for me looks like and it is way different than my plans. But when I follow what Jesus has for me, I know I’ll be living the best life I could possibly live. I’m not saying that it is the easiest life I could live, but I know that it will be the fullest.
I choose to surrender my life and all my plans to you Jesus.
Very proud of you for your choice to surrender and serve our Father. Don’t know if you’ve met my niece Sarah that is there right now or not but it sounds like you two would be good friends!!