Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
December 2, 2024
This Week's Anchor
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.'”
Matthew 16:24-25 (NKJV)
Welcome, Grounded Black Women, to our final devotion for the year! For the month of December, we will rest and thoughtfully connect with the Holy Trinity as we reflect on the current year and prayerfully set our intentions for the new year. Tune in next week to receive guided scriptures and reflections to carry you through the end of this year.
As we approach these final weeks, what better time to discuss God’s sustaining power through endings and transitions? Each year, my mother and I have conversations about endings as the series finales of our favorite shows wrap up. With the ending of shows, we both feel a sense of sadness for the culmination of our beloved series, and we express appreciation for writers who honor the original arc of a story. In the words of one of my daughter’s former favorite shows (Muppet Babies), every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Like showwriters who honor this truth, we are also challenged to accept this reality in our everyday lives. Not only is this true for every story, but it’s true for every day, every week, every month, and every year…Each year must inevitably come to an end. Yet, with the eternal power of the Holy Trinity, endings are more so transitions—with purposeful transformations into renewed beginnings.
Many of us understand, all too well, the complicated feelings the end of the year can bring. As we’ve shared before, the joy of the holidays can coexist with grief, struggle, and isolation. It’s also not uncommon to find ourselves in deep reflection—sometimes with painful memories, especially in those years that we barely survive. And if that isn’t enough, it would be remiss not to acknowledge what feels like the never-ending stress of living in our times alongside ongoing socio-political tensions and racial-ethnic violence that lingers through yet another year. With this shared, how understandable and human it is to get to the end of the year feeling as though the weight of the world is on our shoulders.
Nonetheless, our anchor scripture relieves this weight by reminding us that we aren’t meant to carry it alone. This scripture is a biblical altar call. It comes from the words of Jesus Himself, and simply put, we are invited to follow Jesus with the instruction of surrendering our fleshly life and with the reminder that when we lose ourselves in Jesus, we find so much more. With the power of the Holy Trinity, we somehow gain through losses. We begin again through endings. And we grow and evolve through attempted destruction. But to receive this transformative power, we must surrender.
Interestingly, when we think about surrendering as Christ-followers, we often believe that it requires us to give up our desires, visions, and plans. Contrarily, surrendering is an act of release. We aren’t giving up; we’re giving to. When we surrender our will, our worries, and our end-of-the-year stress to God, we place them in His metaphorical hands because His hands can hold and mold our lives better than we ever could on our own. We aren’t just giving up control when we surrender; we are, more importantly, tapping into Divine control.
Our struggles with endings and transitions often connect to our need for control (and the reality of our lack thereof). However, when we surrender the process of transitioning from one season to the next, we are empowered to begin again through Him. If the end of this year seems heavy, lay it down. If you feel overwhelmed, let your worries flow from you through prayer and meditation. Let’s pick up our crosses and follow the Holy Trinity into the new year!
Reflection
What is resonating for you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
What worries/concerns are you carrying as you approach the end of this year? What can you do to surrender in these final moments of 2024?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through this Week
Job 11:13-20
Psalms 37:7
Luke 9:23-24
Acts 14:21-22
Philippians 2:12-13
1 Thessalonians 3:1-4
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“You are on the eve of a complete victory.
You can’t go wrong. The world is behind you.”
Josephine Baker
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