Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
“What God is waiting for is not a right conclusion about a matter but for our suppleness in falling into His hands for Him to work in us.”
Benedicta Ward in The Way Supplement (1989) 14, as recounted in What Do You Seek? Wisdom from Religious Life for Today’s World by John-Francis Friendship (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2021) 22. I’m liking this book.
I was speaking to someone recently about the new year and asked what word or phrase was guiding him. He said that “submit” was his word, and he wanted to submit to what God had for him.
God is looking for people willing to submit, be available, or as Ward put it, for our suppleness into falling into His hands for Him to work on us.
If you want to grow in generosity, grow in suppleness. In agricultural terms, it’s like being good soil. The world is planted in you. It bears fruit and saves you from yourself.
Father, save us from ourselves. Spirit grant us suppleness. Jesus, hear our prayer in your mercy. Amen.