Learning to Surrender

Hi -- it's me, Allison. While I was driving to church on Lake Shore Drive tonight (as referenced in Abe's post below), I had an idea for a blog post based on a recent conversation with an old friend. I was telling her how God was teaching me even more to surrender my life to Him. I can get so caught up in my life that I miss the fact that much of my life as it stands now was not how I had planned my life to be. Last night I was sitting with Abe at our favorite Chinese restaurant when I had to just laugh at my life at this stage:

--I was at my *favorite* Chinese restaurant. Says a lot for someone who didn't eat Chinese until I met Abe.
--This was my second Asian meal in a row and I was OK with it (we called out for Thai on Friday night).
--My husband is of a culture that not only is different than mine but one I had no interest in until I met him.
--I can speak some Chinese and can, based on circumstances, interpret what my in-laws say to each other even though I can't understand most of their words when they speak Chinese instead of English. Waiters always look at me funny.
--I live in the third largest city in America. I am not a city girl.
--My church is in the shadow of the John Hancock Building and the Sears Tower.
--My occupation is not what I thought I would do post-college.
--My job allows me to travel to cities such as New York and LA on occasion. My only true business trip in my first job was to a city named Dumas. Say it out loud and get a laugh.

This is my life. It's not perfect. It's totally not what I thought life would turn out for me, but it's so much better. While I have dreams for the future, God is teaching me that I am really not as in control of my life as I think I am. I'm learning to surrender, to jump in and let God direct the flow of my life. Not just for the highs, but also for the lows, of which I have experienced recently. I think if I grasp this concept, I'll be much more at peace and content with life.