Throw Your Hands Up, Part 3

You could not stay away. I understand. I couldn’t stay away, either. Wait. It’s different because I’m the writer. Anywho … I’m glad you chose to return for “Throw Your Hands Up, Part 3”, the last segment. Did you miss parts 1 and 2? Check them out here (1) and here (2) to catch up.

For the rest of you, welcome back. You know the drill. This is Christian Sanity, where we look at familiar topics through a not-so-familiar perspective. 

You know the drill. Lean back, strap in, and ensure the airbag is turned on because here we go.

Previously on Christian Sanity 

The short, short version. Do you? Yes. Do you? Yes. Good, you’re married. Kiss her. 

Oh, wait. That’s Spaceballs. But the words are great advice in this instance. No, I don’t want you to start kissing random people. It’s about breaking things down to the basics and asking a simple question.

Why do we raise our hands? The answers are, Giving, Receiving, Service, and Praising. Besides swiping our phones, tossing food in our mouths, and picking our noses (I’m looking at my two youngest … maybe my oldest as well), what do we use our hands for? Seriously.

Our arms and hands are critical in everyday life. If you don’t believe me, try not to use an arm for an entire day. If you are brave, try not to use either arm. It’s challenging to get out of bed. What about those eye boogers in the creases of the eyelids? 

Let’s not talk about attempting to use the restroom. And we’ll leave Bruno in there. If you have young kids, you’ll get the reference. 

Arms are taken for granted. The ease of actions we can do are simple. All because we have the luxury of two arms. We use them nearly every moment of each day.

Driving is easy with two hands. Writing on a computer or laptop is a breeze. The simplicity of cooking cannot be overlooked when you have two arms unless you’re my sister. She may or may not have burned down a stove. And kitchen. And house.

But I digress. 

We do so many things with our arms and hands that we can’t name them all. The same is true in our Christian walk. Our arms and hands are instrumental in worshiping, serving, and coming to the Lord. This is a nice segway in today’s final part of “Throw Your Hands Up.”

Put Your Hands Up

If I was to walk down the street, in a store, or at an outdoor farmer’s market and yell, “Put your hands up,” how many would listen? How many would obey?

The short answer is none.

And the longer answer is I might get hit. 

I have to jump around, threaten to take electronics or dropkick my kids to get them to listen. I’m kidding. Mostly… The evil creatures known as cats that traverse the interior of my house only listen to the sound of a can opener. Kids can roughhouse but instantly hear the sound of a candy wrapper.

Try walking into work and shouting, “Arms up,” and see who listens. And it doesn’t count if you’re the boss. What about at school? I can stand and say fire drill. But why should anyone listen if I’m a student like everyone else?

The answer is quite simple. Without authority, there is no need for submission or surrender. Our heavenly Father is the ultimate authority. Let us look at a few examples of surrender.

Mugging

Imagine you are walking to your car. It’s dark out. The street lights cast a dim yellow illuminating halo. Then it happens. A voice behind you demands your wallet, phone, and keys. Maybe even any jewelry you are wearing. You turn slowly and see the robber is armed. 

Now in the South, many men would say they would dive into a fight. But the reality is there are no earthly treasures worth risking your life for. As a father, I aim to get home safely to my kids. So, in this instance, I would choose to submit to the authority the robber has. Everything would be handed over for me to return home to my family. 

When I was younger, I would have said I would go Jackie Chan or John Wick on the robbers. Ah, the immortal idiocy of youth. As a father, I understand my priorities are my family. I would submit to the authority of the weapon-wielding mugger.

In moments like this, life is clarified. What is truly important becomes clear. We choose to surrender to retain what is essential, and we offer up things that do not have eternal value.

Another example.

Games

How does a game fit into the category of submit and surrender? I’m so glad you asked.

I remember we played freeze tag in my youth (yes, long ago). Now that was fun. One person was it, and the rest of us ran around in an attempt to avoid getting tagged. Do you remember what happened when you were tagged? We stopped and pretended to be frozen.

In the game, we submitted to the tagger’s power and authority. 

What about Simon Says? We literally obeyed everything Simon said. That was the point of the game. To obey Simon down to the smallest detail. Red light green light was another game of submitting to the speaker. We could only move once the speaker said green light—or yellow light for the brave.

How about Follow the leader? Our actions were meant to mirror the one in charge—the one with the authority. No dance moves, or else I will be out immediately. A Spelling Bee was a contest to spell the words given to the contestants. But, the only words spelled were given by those in authority.

The only way any of these games worked was if the people surrendered to the authority of the one in charge. 

Our daily walk should be a reflection of Christ. A spiritual follow the leader. We know right from wrong. This is what God Says instead of Simon. 

Last example.

Police

(I am choosing to use this as an example without the politically/socially charged issues of today)

Imagine driving home at night after work or returning home after dinner and a movie. Cruise control is set, and the radio is playing your favorite song. Suddenly the flash of red and blue neon lights illuminate all your mirrors. What do you do?

If you said floor it … I shall pray for you.

Most, if not all, of the people reading this would pull over. Why? We haven’t done anything wrong. And we do not know who the individuals are in the police cruiser. Regardless of our lack of knowledge of the specifics, we understand one simple truth. They are in authority.

So we pull our vehicle over and surrender to legal and lawful orders. 

Have you ever been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or hanging out with someone you knew you probably shouldn’t? No? Me neither. But for argument’s sake, let us pretend. My mother used to talk about guilt by association (obviously, she wasn’t talking about me) and how I could get in trouble.

What would happen if law enforcement suddenly appeared and ordered you to raise your hands? That reminds me of the old Westerns where the sheriff or marshall told them to “reach for the sky.” I’d nearly dislocate my arm while throwing my hands to the heavens. 

I know I did nothing wrong. But I still surrender to the authority. 

Final Thoughts

All of these examples offer different perspectives on surrender and submission. 

This is the last part of Throwing Our Hands Up. James wrote, “Submit yourselves therefore to God.” Giving, Receiving, Service, and Praise is essential to our Christian walk. But unless we are willing to surrender to the Lord, give Him complete control, and trust Him, we are not living to our full potential.

Surrender is what we do when we get saved. We lay our lives, burdens, sins, worries, and fears at the feet of the only one who can take them away. Salvation is a gift we can only accept when we surrender and submit to our heavenly Father. 

And surrender is a daily requirement. 

God will not lead us where we should go if we do not surrender control. He will not show us His vision unless we submit and acknowledge our sight is flawed. We cannot serve if we do not follow. 

When was the last time we hit our knees or prayer pillows and cried out to God? Lord, use me is a prayer we utter. Let me be an example. Give me a chance to serve. Lord, lead me where You want me.

All of this relies on our surrendering and submitting to the Lord. In surrendering His will, blessings are manifested with Giving and Receiving. When we submit, we place ourselves into His Service. Praise and Worship draw us near to God. This all becomes possible by surrender.

Today, ask yourself one straightforward and challenging question. 

Have we surrendered everything to God? Are we living in a place of surrender? Do we see and acknowledge His supreme authority over our lives?

The best part is we can surrender to God anywhere we are. God will not leave nor forsake us. 

So Throw Your Hands Up and prepare.