Romans 12:1

I am currently reading "The Mission of Motherhood" by Sally Clarkson. I am not finished with it yet, so I am not putting my official endorsement stamp on it, however, what I have read thus far has been amazing, challenging, biblical and encouraging. I am pretty confident I will be putting my stamp on it when I am all done :).
I have had Romans 12:1 memorized for years. "I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual act of worship." I recently read Sally's take on this verse in her book, and God has used it in MIGHTY ways over the last 5 days to challenge me. Here is an excerpt from her book: "To fully experience our fulfillment in Christ and fulfill His will for our lives, we must come to the point where we give our whole selves to Him- our freedom, our time, our bodies, all of our possessions and gifts- trusting Him to show us how to use all that we are for His glory. To sacrifice means to give up or surrender something of value. We are living sacrifices, which means that moment by moment, out of our worship of Him, we are to surrender our own needs and expectations for the greater value of pleasing our Lord."
I had a difficult situation arise this weekend, and God immediately brought this passage to mind. I had a choice- to become embittered, frustrated and angry at a situation that was completely out of my control, or turn my unmet expectations into an act of worship to my God. I was challenged in a very real way to give up my desires in a way that would honor God and acknowledge Him sovereign over every aspect of my life. It took some work, and some tears, but I was able to come to a place where I fully accepted God's plan for me that day (despite the fact that it was drastically different than what I wanted, and I totally didn't understand why God wasn't allowing my plans to happen that day) and turned my sorrow into worship of my Heavenly Father. After spending a few minutes alone in prayer, thanking God for being Lord over every aspect of my life, for knowing way more than I ever will what is best for me, and asking for ways to celebrate what He had given me that day, I read the Bible to Markus and Halle Joy and then we had a dance party to some Chris Tomlin. I spent a precious morning with my kids (whom I would have been away from had I had my way) and was greatly ministered to through my time with them. And you know what? Two hours later God blessed me by creatively showing Himself through some dear friends and I was in fact allowed an oppotrunity to attend the worship seminar with Mark for a few hours- the one I thought I was going to be missing out on that day.
Being a mommy means giving my all- my time, my expectations, my desires- to serve my God by serving my kids and my husband. Sacrificing my all- especially those things that I value deeply- is my act of worship. Lord, may I walk in a way that says I choose to give my all to you. Even if it means I will have to give up what I think is best. Thank you that you carry me through and that You show Yourself to me over and over again in fresh, new ways. May I delight in Your will and Your will alone for my life.