all of me for all of You
Surrender. Hands in the air. Defenses down. Heart open. All of me for all of You.
Here is all I am.
My messes, weaknesses, failures. My successes, strengths, victories. My muddled thoughts, my doubts and fears, my misgivings. My hurts and questions, my joys and confidences.
The parts of me I love, the parts of me I despise. Everything I know, everything I don’t. My pieces, my fragments, my whole parts. My insecurities, my all-too-securities.
The things I often give and take right back, the things I’ve never given before, the things I’m not even aware of. Everything I know I need You for, everything I think I don’t.
Here is all I am.
Even when I feel I can only open the door an inch, this is me giving You permission to bust it wide open. Even when I feel I’m unable to offer You more of me, this is me asking You to go ahead and take it anyway. Even when I feel I have no words, this is me asking You to respond to my one-word prayers for “Help” with all You know I need.
Be aggressive with me. For I’m not aggressive enough on my own behalf.
Take all of me and bombard me with all of You. All of You is certainly more than I can handle, but I want to feel crushed under the weight of that burden.
That burden isn’t a burden at all.
[from a post on this day two years ago]
@ventigrace says:
“Here is all I am”…
That is a bold, powerful, reverent prayer of surrender. May I have the courage to pray it as well…
@atangie says:
Hearing these reposts in light of what we now know was going on adds a whole new layer of realness.
This line grabbed me: Everything I know I need You for, everything I think I don’t.
hmm.
God bless you, friend.
You captured my heart this morning… love you, Alece.
I appreciate knowing you the little I know you… Iron sharpens iron
Thank you, Alece. Two years later this is exactly what I need NOW. It’s so easy it’s hard, isn’t it?!
@gritandglory says:
so, so grateful for you, cristi!
@cassgirl says:
Two years ago… I didn’t know you..
I wish I had.
BUT
this morning I do… ( I love you) and these words put a stronghold on my heart
“….Even when I feel I’m unable to offer You more of me, this is me asking You to go ahead and take it anyway.”
I need this right NOW.
@gritandglory says:
weird to think that we didn’t even know each other two years ago.
i’m so grateful you are in my life.
@cassgirl says:
My heart has never been the same.
(my wenis miss you)
@mandythompson says:
There’s a song in those words…
@gritandglory says:
find it, friend.
@tamhodge says:
i agree mandy. and there is also a book within you, alece.
my heart is overwhelmed by your words here. striking, haunting, beautiful to the point of tears.
I don’t know if you know me. I know you through my sister. You came and spoke at our youth ministry years ago. We have been on your mailing list ever since. I have watched over the years, how God has used you to touch so many lives through Thrive.
I’ve been following your blogging since we received your email “a note from our founder”. I was brokenhearted. I have been praying for you. Your words and your response to all of this has inspired me. In the midst of the storm, you are keeping your eyes on Jesus. He will not let you sink! I just wanted you to know that your life is inspiring people in places you do not know! And your testimony and the testimony of others seeing your life, is making a big impact on the world!
He knows all and we can not think that we can handle life without Him in every area, in every room, in every thought. No secrets!
“Even when I feel I can only open the door an inch, this is me giving You permission to bust it wide open.” This really spoke to my heart. We can be confident to be so vulnerable with the Lord and His love will penetrate through anything and everything.
No one should have to go through this, but you know you are not going through it alone. With Jesus, you are going through above the storm, and you will make it through as you fix your eyes on Jesus. His heart breaks for you much more then ours ever could. It’s breaking for Neil, too. He has given up so much….
@gritandglory says:
susan, you blessed my heart so much with your comment. i’mma be emailing you!
speechless. this is a prayer we should all say daily.
Tam’s right about the book… I think it should be a prayer book/devotional for those of us who need others to help us find the words in our hearts.
A beautiful song, a beautiful book, a beautiful picture. The perfect expression of the surrendering, releasing, the burden of the flesh for the perfect love of faith.
Your words have lifted my heat today. Thank you.
@gritandglory says:
i hope to hug you someday, ed.
It will be hugs all around.
Your words do turn up the “heat” of faith, but I meant to say, “Your words have lifted my “heart” today.
@gritandglory says:
i figured! :)
I have always come here and felt at home. I have always come here to find inspiration. I have always come and here left blessed.
@gritandglory says:
woah.
WOAH.
thank you.
Yes. All of it.
I’m giving You my heart, and all that is within
I lay it all down, for the sake of You my King
I’m giving You my dreams, I’m laying down my rights
I’m giving up my pride, for the promise of new life
I , I surrender, all to You, all to You
And I, I surrender, all to You, all to You
I’m singing You this song, I’m waiting at the cross
All the world holds dear, I count it all as loss
For the sake of knowing You, the glory of Your name
To know the lasting joy, even sharing in Your pain
I , I surrender, all to You, all to You
And I, I surrender, all to You, all to You
beautiful. i want to get to a place where i can say this prayer without doubt or fear or anything like that. just as a pure offering of me because the Lord knows best. This prayer is the desire of my heart… but i want it to be the prayer of my own heart. i’m aching to surrender… but shying away from surrender. I’m scared of what my heart wants and needs most. I want to choose surrender. Thank you for making that choice. Thank you for being a fighter. Thank you for your transparency Thank you for holding on. Thank you for your wisdom. Your words go right to my inner core. And though I just said “thank you” a bunch of times, it doesn’t even begin to express how thankful i am for you. I am very grateful for you, stranger.
I so agree with what others have said about there being a song in this.
I also think it’s a psalm.
Selah.
@gritandglory says:
selah has been a word on my heart for years now. i long to experience that kind of rest… [and i also love it for a girl's name...]
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.
Thank you for putting the feelings of your heart into words. Your transparency radiates with love and grace, and has pushed me to seek God in a deeper way.
I want to trust Him, to be willing to give Him my ALL… thanks for modeling complete surrender.
you know…
i’m still blinking.
oh, my heart’s friend……
man…this is so good
really, I love it when I go one somebody’s blog and see the thoughts and desires of my heart layed out there, in words I could never formulate
Wow. I needed that. Thank you.
@mandythompson says:
First Draft:
All my fears
all my doubts
all those times when I can’t figure You out
All the days
I feel alive
like faith us raising up an army inside
Hands in the air
Defenses down
Can you take all of me for all of You
all my failures & messes
strengths & successes
all of me for all of you
take all of me
for all of You
All I have
and all I know
The broken parts of me that make me whole
The days I have
so much to say
the days I can’t find the words to pray
Hands in the air
Defenses down
Can you take all of me for all of You
all my failures & messes
strengths & successes
all of me for all of you
take all of me
for all of You
@gritandglory says:
i just “OH MY DANG”ed out loud.
i want to hear this, friend. the words are so beautiful. SO beautiful. i want to hear what you hear.
i love that you did this.
i love you!
[does this count toward your 100????]
@mandythompson says:
:) This is #89, friend.
Co-written: Mandy Thompson & Alece Ronzino.
Let me know if there’s anything in there that you want changed, think could work better…
@gritandglory says:
co-written nothin! i’d maybe take “inspired by”, but not co-written. she’s all you. #89 baby!
i feel more honored than you know.
@mandythompson says:
:) You’ve got a poet in you. That’s half of what songwriiting is about!
@gritandglory says:
my writing started with poetry. childish scribblings of prose. i think i started filling a journal with poems when i was 7.
i was telling someone today how God used a poem i wrote at age 9 when my parents were separated, to bring my dad home…
that’s a story for our next reunion.
speaking of….
eeeeeeeeeeeee!
@mandythompson says:
Looking forward to the next reunion, seriously. :)
I got shivers reading that! Beautiful.
@gritandglory says:
be aggressive with me, God. right now.
Hi, I’m loving your blog. I respect your honesty. I thank you for responding to my comment last week. It was hard to talk about my divorce & such in the beginning, but the more you talk and pray about it, the easier it gets. :)
(This is kind of weird because I am reading all of these posts in reverse order.)