The Heart of Worship: Learning to Surrender When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned

At 39, in a 950-square-foot apartment with my fiancé and our children, I’m learning that worship isn’t just what we sing on Sunday during service, it’s what we surrender. This reflection on Chapter Ten of The Purpose Driven Life is an honest look at what happens when calling collides with financial uncertainty, old wounds around security, and the fear of letting go. Through Rick Warren’s reminder that “surrendering to God is the heart of worship,” I’m exploring the three barriers that keep us guarded (fear, pride, confusion), what surrender truly looks like in Scripture, and how God offers real pace by changing us from the inside out.