What does it look like to be completely abandoned to God? Some would say those who smuggle bibles into restricted nations are completely abandoned. Others would say being on the mission field in a developing nation shows complete abandonment. Still others would say committing their lives to being before God in constant prayer is complete abandonment. I would agree with all of these to a point. But what is complete abandonment to God? Is it selling everything you own to give to those in need? Is it forsaking your dream to go into the ministry? I believe that your actions are not as much an indication of abandonment as your heart is.[1] We have so many ideas of what “good Christians” look like, how they serve, and the impacts they make. Many of these ideas are lies to keep us feeling worthless and falling short of reaching our potential and fulfilling our call in Christ. I’ve been sitting at home loving my family, but I want to be in Israel or doing campus ministry again. However, would that be living completely abandoned to God? See, the issue is our ideas must be submitted to God’s heart for us. I’ve been fighting the urge to do internships for different ministries in Phoenix. Why am I fighting it? Because it’s a fleshly urge. My body resists being “stationery” for long periods of time. My life has always been hectic. It thrives off of busyness. It wasn’t something Duke instilled in me. I functioned that way long before I moved to Durham. Now, I get to rest and it’s hard. Really hard.
So, what does it look like to be completely abandoned to God? The two greatest commandments are: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “ You shall love your neighbor as yourself.[2]” Jesus also told His disciples that in order to be great in His kingdom, you must be a servant.[3] I believe complete abandonment is an internal state of the heart that has an ever-changing external expression. What does it look like to serve? That depends on who is being served at that time. If we always have our sights on loving God, we will be given many different opportunities to love our neighbor. Complete abandonment looks like fulfilling these two commandments by serving God and others wherever He has you right now. Look at your current situation. There is ample opportunity to serve. Ask God what He desires of you right now, and do it with your whole being. This is complete abandonment. You don’t have to give up a dream unless He requires it of you. You don’t have to sell your house unless He asks you to do so. Just be faithfully obedient to whatever He asks of you right now. For me, it’s being at home with my family and resting. This is my complete abandonment right now. Tomorrow, it might look different. Whatever it is, I’m going to try to do it with the fullness of me. It’ll be my offering to Him.
