The Year of YIELD
I've honestly always thought the "word of the year" thing was a little cheesy. Helpful for some, but not for me. But this past week, the word yield has continued to resurface in conversations and my time in prayer. Because I will forever be an English teacher at heart, I did some word study to see what the Lord might be trying to teach me.
Why My Metaphorical Mind Loves Yield Signs
I first looked up the purposes of yield signs on DrivingTests.org (yes, that's a thing! haha):
"The yield sign is a regulatory sign. At a yield sign, drivers must slow down and yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and vehicles that are approaching from another direction....The drivers may proceed only after yielding and only when it's safe to do so."
"Yields signs are usually posted at intersections where two roadways merge."
"'Yield' means to let other road users go first."
"Unlike stop signs, drivers aren't required to come to a complete stop at a yield sign, and may proceed without stopping provided that it is safe to do so."
Just as yield signs are common "regulatory signs" for drivers, the Lord at times calls us to yield in order to regulate lovingly and for our protection. If we drove our lives at the speed and in the directions we wanted completely unchecked, confusion and injury would inevitably ensue (and often does when we decide to ignore His direction).
Yield signs are posted where two intersections merge. Some of us may be in a season of intersection (I am!) and faced with choices that will significantly alter our life's course direction. Don't be surprised at the more frequent "yield signs" He places in your life then. Slow down. Surrender your pride in believing you always have "the right-of-way." Check both ways in prayer and counsel and then move forward.
Yield signs don't always mean complete stop. Sometimes you can keep moving in the same direction, but just need to pause to check your heart attitude or motivations. Sometimes it does mean stop and redirect.
Yield signs remind us that there are others around us and direct us to check our surroundings. Check for others "approaching from another direction." Listen to their positions and counsel in a posture of humility. Remember you are still learning.
Yielding the right-of-way to others does imply humility. The Lord calls us to humility for our (and others') best. Consistently throughout Scripture we see that the proud fall but the humble are exalted. Read Matthew 5:1-13 and you will see. The Lord's kingdom is upside-down.
What Webster Had to Say
Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines the verb yield in a few ways:
"to bear or bring forth as a natural product especially as a result of cultivation"
"to give or render as fitting, rightfully owed, or required"
"to give up and cease resistance or contention"
My Own Prayer for Yielding in 2020
I pray I will "yield the fruit" of the past year. The soil of my heart and life has been cultivated, lies and sin uprooted, beliefs taken out and replanted, the past year especially. I pray that I will begin to see the fruit. I have already, and that excites me. "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6
I also pray I will "cease resistance" to the Lord's hand and realize that my life is not my own. I have been ransomed at a great price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Missionary Jim Elliot wrote, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." I pray I will have a yielded heart to the Lord, His ways, and direction. The prerequisite for a life that is truly significant is a heart wholly surrendered to the will of God. May that be true of me and of you.