The Power of Yielding

Nearly 6 million cubic feet of water careens over the edge to the boulders below giving the iconic scenery of Niagra Falls both its beauty and energy. There are actually two falls as the Niagra river splits around Goat Island creating waterfalls on both the Canadian and American sides. The force of the water is so great that the crest of the falls has receded nearly 7 miles from where it first began.

We visited the falls on our 25th anniversary and took a boat ride to the base. The power of the falling water resonated through our bodies while the sound deafened our ears. It was truly breathtaking.

Waterfalls are not alone in molding our landscape. The might of waves shape the coastlines of our planet from the shores of east Africa to the coast of California. The vigor of rivers carves canyons as vast as the Grand Canyons of the Colorado River in the United States to the Great Canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet. Yet with all the influence water has to transform the environment, it is powerless by itself. The source of its strength is simply that it yields completely to gravity.

There is a greater source of power in the world than gravity--the One who formed it all. But often I find myself operating as if I were the source of strength for my life and the tasks God has called me to. And when I do, inevitably I falter. I imagine I'm not alone. 


Living a yielded life is living a life in obedience to God. Jesus provides us with a perfect model of this level of obedience. By emulating the nature of water we become more Christ-like and better tools for the kingdom. God is more concerned with our willingness than our ability. What He calls you and I to do, He will equip us for.





Message for the journey:

Imagine the change we could affect on the world around us if we, like water, fully yielded and let God's unlimited power work through us.

©Ann Wilds

original post-2011

How to Defeat Grasshopper Thinking

I’m a country girl at heart having spent most of my childhood outdoors. When you do, especially in Southwest Louisiana, you can’t help but become acquainted with bugs and insects. I'd lie in the lush grass and watch as mosquito hawks danced, ants marched, grasshoppers bounced and, my personal favorite, rolly pollys meandered. They were each tiny creatures existing within a larger, more powerful world. 

Sometimes we feel equally small in light of seemingly giant obstacles in our lives. Perhaps you’ve felt that way as you faced a loved one’s progressive disease, or the loss of a job, or a rebellious child, or a depleted bank account. If so, you aren’t alone.

The Israelites felt powerless when they surveyed the inhabitants of the Promised Land. Ten men were sent out to explore, eight came back overwhelmed by the obstacles seen, reporting that they felt as helpless as grasshoppers. As a result, the people were afraid to enter God’s blessing.  Instead, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years until only their children gained entrance. 

That is, all but two. Joshua and Caleb were part of the ten, yet they refused to be defeated by grasshoppers. It didn’t matter what their eyes saw; what mattered was how big God was. They knew what He’d already done for them and trusted that He would provide a way. They walked in obedience and entered the Promise Land.

Message for the Journey:

Can any obstacle be bigger than God? When you seem insignificant compared to the situation around you, stand firm. Don’t be like the Israelites and miss God’s blessings because you allow grasshopper feelings to overrule what you know. Trust God and in obedience, press on.

©Ann Wilds

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.(Isaiah 40:22)