Surrender Is Where the Strength Comes From

There’s a moment I think every woman knows all too well—when life feels like it’s moving faster than your soul can keep up.

For me, it usually happens in the kitchen.
Half-drunk coffee…
Dishes stacked higher than I meant to let them…
A to-do list forming before I’ve even had a chance to breathe…

And in those moments, it feels like if I don’t push harder, hustle more, or hold everything together perfectly, it will all fall apart.

But here’s the truth I’ve been learning, slowly and gently:

Strength doesn’t come from holding everything together.
Strength comes from handing everything over.

In A Pace of Grace, I wrote:

“Surrender is hard, but it’s freeing.”

And I meant every word.
Because surrender didn’t come naturally to me.
It came through exhaustion.
Through anxiety.
Through the Holy Spirit whispering, “You don’t have to do this alone.”

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**The world tells us to grit our teeth and push through.

Jesus tells us to lay it down.**

We live in a culture that celebrates self-sufficiency—
Do it all.
Be it all.
Carry it all well.

But Jesus invites us into another way entirely:

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28)

He doesn’t tell us to get stronger first.
He doesn’t ask us to clean up or pull ourselves together.
He simply says come.

Surrender is not weakness.
Surrender is wisdom.
It’s the moment we stop pretending we’re the Savior
and remember that we already have one.

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A moment of surrender that changed everything

Not long ago, I found myself feeling stretched too thin, the familiar tightness of anxiety building in my chest as I stood in my kitchen with cold coffee and crowded thoughts. My mind was racing through everything I thought I wasn’t doing well enough.

Right there—in the middle of the noise—God whispered the same verse He’s been writing across my life:
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
(Psalm 46:10)

It wasn’t a command to pause my life allowing everything to magically get done.
It was an invitation.

An invitation to release my grip.
To stop forcing outcomes.
To trust that the God who holds the universe can hold me too.

Nothing around me changed instantly.
But I changed.
My breathing slowed.
My focus shifted.
My shoulders softened under the weight of His presence.

That is the power of surrender.

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Surrender is not giving up — it's giving God room to move.

When we surrender, we make space for:

• Peace that replaces panic
• Clarity that quiets confusion
• Strength that lifts what we cannot carry
• Provision we couldn’t have manufactured
• Joy we didn’t have to earn

Surrender takes us out of striving mode
and places us back into receiving mode.

This is the rhythm Jesus modeled, the rhythm our soul longs for.

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A simple “Surrender Prayer” for your week

I want to give you a prayer straight from my own journal:

“Lord, I release what is not mine to carry.
I trust You with what I cannot control.
Lead me at Your pace today.
Make me aware of Your presence
and remind me that Your strength is enough for me.”

Pray it slowly.
Breathe deeply.
Let those words settle into every rushed and restless place.

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How to Practice Surrender in Real, Everyday Ways

Here are a few gentle rhythms that make surrender practical:

1. Pause before you respond

Give the Holy Spirit space to lead instead of reacting from pressure.

2. Ask God: “What can I release today?”

Sometimes it’s a mindset.
Sometimes it’s a responsibility.
Sometimes it’s control.

3. Let the unfinished be okay

This one is hard… but so holy.
God never asked for perfection.
He asked for trust.

4. Move slowly on purpose

Slowness is a spiritual practice.
A way of saying, “God, I’m not in charge of the timing—You are.”

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Surrender is where your strength returns.

When we stop trying to be the source and start trusting the Source, we find a strength that is steady, quiet, and deeply rooted.

The kind of strength that doesn’t fade when our day goes sideways.
The kind that doesn’t crumble when someone needs more than we expected.
The kind that isn’t dependent on us—but on Him.

This is the beauty of surrender:
It brings us back into the arms of a God who carries us.

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✨ A Note About the Book

If your heart feels weary or overextended, A Pace of Grace speaks directly to this place. In its pages, I share how God used surrender to reshape my pace, my peace, and my entire way of showing up in the world.

My prayer is that as you read it, you’ll feel less alone…
and more held by the One who loves you deeply.

A Pace of Grace: Steady Your Spirit When Life Gets Messy

By Heather Cook

Buy on Amazon

Obedience Isn’t Heavy: It’s the Lightest Way to Live

If you’re anything like me, the word obedience used to feel a little… heavy.

Not because I didn’t want to follow God, but because somewhere along the way, I confused obedience with perfection.

I thought obedience meant getting everything right.
Holding everything together.
Never messing up.
Always proving that I could handle what God gave me.

But this is what God has been rewriting in my heart:

Obedience isn’t pressure. It’s freedom.
Obedience doesn’t weigh us down. It lifts us up.
Obedience isn’t God demanding more. It’s Him inviting us into His best.

In A Pace of Grace, I write:

“When I feel the familiar pull to strive, I remind myself that God doesn’t require perfection; He desires my heart.”

That sentence came from a real moment—one where I felt like I was failing at everything. And all God whispered was,
“Just walk with Me.”

Not run.
Not hustle.
Not prove.

Just walk.

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Obedience is not a task — it’s a relationship.

When we think of obedience apart from love, it becomes rigid and exhausting.
But when we think of obedience inside our relationship with God, everything softens.

A daughter doesn’t obey to earn her father’s love.
She responds to love that already exists.

That’s what obedience feels like with Jesus.

It’s closer to:
“Lord, I trust You enough to follow You.”
than
“Lord, I’m trying to be good enough for You.”

Jesus said,

“My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)

If what we’re carrying feels suffocating, chances are… it’s not obedience.
It’s striving.

Obedience is God saying:
“Let Me lead you into peace. Let Me show you the way.”

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A moment God used to teach me this

There was a day when I felt like I was juggling too many responsibilities—ministry, motherhood, deadlines, expectations, and the inner voice telling me I wasn’t enough. I sat in my car, mentally listing everything I didn’t get done.

I asked God, “Am I failing?”

And He answered so gently,
“No, daughter. You’re just trying to lead when I’ve asked you to follow.”

That stopped me.
Because He was right.

I had taken back the reins.
I was trying to run ahead.
I was hustling for approval God had already given.

Obedience wasn’t asking more of me—it was asking me to slow down.

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Obedience begins with one simple question

Instead of asking:
“What do I need to get done today?”

Ask:
“Lord, what is mine to carry today?”

This question re-centers everything.

It clears the noise.
It lifts the shame.
It breaks off the striving.
And it reminds us that God doesn’t assign us a whole year at once.
He gives us today.

And He gives us the grace for today.

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How to Practice Light-Hearted Obedience This Week

Here are a few simple rhythms you can try:

01. Ask God for your assignment each morning

Just one thing.
One act of obedience.
One next step.

02. Pay attention to what brings peace

Obedience aligns with peace, not panic.

03. Release anything God didn’t ask you to carry

Expectations, guilt, unnecessary responsibilities, old habits.

You don’t need to drag along what God already lifted from you.

04. Celebrate small yeses

Obedience is built on tiny steps of trust.

You don’t need a grand moment to be obedient.
You just need a willing heart.

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The Sweet Truth About Obedience

Obedience is not God testing us.
It’s God guiding us.
Protecting us.
Forming us.
Freeing us.

And above all…
Obedience is love in motion.

The more we walk with Him, the more we realize this is the lightest way to live.

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✨ A Note About the Book

If this idea of surrender and “obeying without striving” speaks to you, Chapter 5 of A Pace of Grace goes deep into what I call Tenacious Grace — the grace that helps us cling to God even when the path feels uncertain.

I pray it blesses you when you read it.

A Pace of Grace: Steady Your Spirit When Life Gets Messy

By Heather Cook

Buy on Amazon

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When Your Soul Is Tired of Trying: A New Year Invitation to Surrender

There’s something about January that stirs up pressure, isn’t there?
A fresh start. A blank calendar. A brand-new list of expectations we quietly place on ourselves.

Everywhere we turn, the world tells us to hustle harder, set bigger goals, chase more, produce more, become more. And while there’s nothing wrong with goals or growth, I noticed something in myself these last few years: I didn’t need a new plan. I needed a new pace.

And not the pace the world tells me to run…
but the one God invites me to walk.

In A Pace of Grace, I write:

“Stillness doesn’t come from clearing my calendar but by filling my soul with Him, even in the chaos.”

That sentence came straight out of a season when my soul felt overextended—like I was trying to carry the weight of my life on my own shoulders. And friend… I don’t want to start another year like that. Maybe you don’t either.

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Striving looks holy on the outside, but it drains us on the inside.

I used to think striving and obedience were the same thing—like if I didn’t give 110 percent, God would be disappointed. But striving is fueled by fear. Obedience is fueled by love.

Striving says:
“I have to prove myself.”

Obedience says:
“God, I trust You.”

Striving keeps us frantic.
Obedience keeps us free.
Striving puts the weight back on us.
Obedience puts the weight back on God.

As I prayed over this January, the Lord reminded me that a surrendered heart is far more powerful than a perfectly executed plan.

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Maybe this year isn’t about doing more. Maybe it’s about releasing more.

Releasing control.
Releasing hurry.
Releasing the expectations we’ve been carrying for far too long.

Surrender is letting God lead instead of dragging Him behind us while we run.

And surrender becomes a doorway to peace.

When I finally stopped trying to “fix” my life through lists and schedules and leaned fully into Jesus, everything shifted. My circumstances didn’t magically change… but my heart did. My pace did. My awareness of His presence did.

Maybe the invitation for us this January isn’t to work harder but to breathe deeper.

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A simple practice for this week:

5 Minutes of Stillness

I want to invite you into something small and sacred:

Take five minutes each day to sit with Jesus before you sit with the world.

Set a timer.
Sit in the quiet.
And pray, “Lord, I surrender this day to You. Lead me at Your pace.”

Don’t overthink it.
Don’t try to “do it right.”
Just show up. God loves showing up too.

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This month’s heart posture: Surrender over striving

As we step into a new year, you don’t need to earn God’s love or prove your worth. You are already His daughter—chosen, loved, and held.

My prayer for you (and for myself) is this:

Lord, teach us to walk in step with You. Slow our striving. Steady our hearts. Let obedience be our joy and surrender be our strength.

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✨ A Note About the Book

If your heart is longing for a gentler pace this year—one filled with rest, presence, and freedom from striving—A Pace of Grace was written for you.

It will be available for pre-order, and I can’t wait to walk this journey of surrender and obedience with you each step of the way.

A Pace of Grace: Steady Your Spirit When Life Gets Messy

By Heather Cook

Buy on Amazon

Rest Is Resistance

 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:2-3

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

— John 15:5

There’s a phrase I’ve been holding onto lately: Rest is resistance.

In a culture that celebrates hustle and glorifies exhaustion, slowing down feels rebellious. We’re taught to measure our worth by what we accomplish, how busy we stay, and how much we can juggle before dropping something. But God offers us a completely different rhythm—one that starts with rest, not performance.

From the very beginning, He modeled it. “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” (Genesis 2:2)

God didn’t rest because He was tired. He rested because creation was complete. He looked at all He had made and called it good. Rest wasn’t the reward for His work—it was part of the work itself.

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The Quiet Courage of Saying “Enough”

Rest takes courage. It means choosing to believe that your value doesn’t depend on what you produce.

“Rest says: I have nothing to prove and nothing to earn. I am already loved.”

When we stop striving, we confront the voices that tell us we’re falling behind or not doing enough. But here’s the truth—rest isn’t laziness. It’s worship. It’s trusting that God is still working even when we’re not.

Every time we rest, we declare, “The world doesn’t revolve around me—it revolves around Him.”

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Redefining Success

We’ve been conditioned to chase goals, numbers, and accolades. But Jesus redefined success when He said in John 15:5, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.”

The goal isn’t to do more—it’s to abide more deeply.
When we live connected to Him, fruit happens naturally. Peace, patience, love—they flow from being rooted in His presence, not from our own effort.

So maybe rest is less about “getting ahead” and more about getting aligned.

“Rest isn’t the pause before productivity—it’s the posture of trust that fuels it.”

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A Simple Step This Week

Take one intentional action that declares your trust in God’s provision this week:

• Set a boundary. Say no to one thing that drains you. It’s okay to disappoint people to be faithful to God.

• Plan a Sabbath window. It doesn’t have to be a full day—start with half. Turn off your phone, light a candle, go for a walk, read Scripture, laugh with your people. Let your soul breathe.

• Redefine your win. At the end of the week, don’t measure success by what you accomplished. Measure it by how present you were—with God, with people, and with yourself.

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Reflection Questions

• What would it look like for you to resist hustle this week?

• Where are you being invited to trust God more than your own effort?

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A Prayer for Surrender

Father, thank You for modeling rest. Forgive me for believing that my worth comes from what I produce. Teach me to rest as an act of worship—to trust that You’re still working when I’m not. Help me release control, slow my pace, and abide in Your love. Amen.

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✨ Your Turn: What does “rest as resistance” look like in your life right now? Share your thoughts in the comments—we grow stronger when we rest together. And if this encouraged you, send it to someone who’s tired of striving and needs the reminder: you don’t have to earn peace—it’s already yours in Christ. 💛

God Told Elijah to Nap

“Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.”

— ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19‬:‭3‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There’s a meme I saw once that made me laugh out loud: “Elijah was overwhelmed and ready to give up, so God gave him a snack and told him to take a nap.”

It’s funny because it’s true. And it’s powerful because it’s Scripture.

Elijah was exhausted—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He had just faced down prophets, carried heavy responsibility, and then ran for his life. By the time he collapsed under a tree, he was completely done. His words in 1 Kings 19:4 are raw: “I have had enough, Lord.”

And how did God respond? Not with a lecture. Not with a pep talk. But with compassion. He sent an angel who offered Elijah food and let him sleep. Twice.

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The Holiness of Sleep and Food

This story stops me in my tracks. Because sometimes, the most spiritual thing we can do is eat a real meal and go to bed early.

“Sometimes holiness looks like hydration, a good meal, and an early bedtime.”

We don’t often think of rest this way. We assume that “spiritual” means more prayer, more serving, more doing. But God designed our bodies with limits. When we ignore those limits, we run ourselves into the ground. When we honor them, we step into God’s rhythm.

Elijah’s nap and snack weren’t wasted time. They were sacred preparation. After rest, Elijah was able to hear God’s whisper and receive direction for what came next.

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Trusting God With Our Limits

Our culture tells us to push harder, hustle longer, and prove our worth through productivity. But Elijah’s story reminds us that God doesn’t need our nonstop striving. What He wants is our trust.

Rest is an act of trust. When you close your laptop, turn off the light, or put down your phone, you’re saying, “God, I believe You’re still at work, even while I sleep.”

Limits aren’t weakness—they’re grace. They remind us that we are human, and God is God.

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A Simple Step This Week

Here are two gentle ways to lean into God’s rhythm of rest this week:

• Honor your bedtime. Choose one night to turn in earlier than usual. Instead of squeezing in one more chore or one more episode, choose sleep as an act of trust.

• Eat with intention. Instead of grabbing food on the go, sit down for one meal this week without rushing. Thank God for the nourishment, and let it remind you that He provides for your needs.

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Reflection Questions

• Do you see your limits as weaknesses or as invitations from God?

• Where in your life could you treat rest as worship instead of an afterthought?

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A Prayer for the Weary

Father, thank You for creating me with limits and for caring about my whole being. Forgive me for pushing past exhaustion as if I were in control. Teach me to honor the simple gifts of food, sleep, and stillness as holy. Help me to trust You more deeply in my rest. Amen.

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✨ Your Turn: What’s one simple way you can honor your limits this week—through sleep, nourishment, or slowing down? Share it in the comments so we can encourage one another. And if this post spoke to you, send it to a friend who could use the reminder: sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap.