Hey beloved!
Welcome back to this week’s 🌿 Rooted & Rising! If you’ve ever spent months researching, planning, and “figuring it out” before asking God what He actually wants you to do, convinced yourself that one more course will finally make you ready, or realized you’ve been bringing God finished plans to bless instead of surrendered hearts to lead, this one’s for you.
Of course, before we go any further…
🥭 A Spiritual Snack🥭
"Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You."
Don’t Feel Like Reading? Watch This Instead ▶️
Where I Got Checked ✅
Surrender has always been funky for me.
I like doing my own thing without interruption. The idea of asking someone what to do and then actually having to listen? eeeyuck.
That’s why when I finally started taking God seriously, surrender did NOT come easy. You’re telling me I need to lay down my mind, will, and emotions to the Creator of the Universe? That I need to ask Him BEFORE I make my plans instead of presenting Him with my finished strategy for His stamp of approval?
Yea…no— it felt completely backwards at first.
But here's what I learned the hard way this year: All of it was wasted effort without surrender.
I wasn't lazy. I was BUSY. Research. Networking events. Notion templates. Content planning. Strategy sessions. Courses. All the things productive founders are supposed to do.
But most of that work was just me trying to show up to God with a completed assignment instead of asking Him what the assignment even was.
And I wasn't alone. The Israelites took an 11-day journey and turned it into 40 years. Not because they enjoyed the scenic route, but because they kept trying to figure it out themselves instead of surrendering their timeline, their route, and their plans to the One who could see the whole map.
Sarah created a generational sibling rivalry because she thought waiting on God's timing felt irresponsible, so she got "proactive" with Hagar (Genesis 21). That "productivity"? It had consequences that lasted for generations.
No surrender = time wasted and countless hours you can't get back.
But thankfully for them, you, and me? There's breakthrough on the other side of surrender.
The Breakdown: When Preparation Becomes Procrastination 🤏🏾
Here's the pain point nobody talks about: You’re terrified that if you surrender FIRST and God says something different than what you’ve been planning, all that work was for nothing.
So you stay in “plancrastination” mode:
One more course before launching
One more networking event before pitching
One more template before posting
One more strategy session before executing
It FEELS like preparation. It LOOKS like responsibility. But really? It's you delaying the conversation with God because you're scared of what He might say.
You're not "being wise" by planning everything out first—you're trying to present God with a finished product instead of asking Him to partner with you from the beginning.
The Shift:
Surrender isn't about stopping the work, it's about inviting God into the process BEFORE you build the plan, not after.
It's the difference between:
"God, bless this strategy I created" vs. "God, what strategy do You want me to use?"
"God, help this launch succeed" vs. "God, should I even be launching this right now?"
"God, make this work" vs. "God, what do You want me to work on?"
Surrender means bringing God an open hand, not a closed fist full of plans you need Him to rubber-stamp.
The fastest route to your breakthrough is surrender FIRST, divine strategy SECOND.
Not the other way around. It‘s also more sustainable when it’s a daily process of surrender and inviting God to partner WITH you as you build.
When it’s an ongoing process, everything begins to smooth out and your strides forward become evident.
This Week’s Challenge 👀
Audit your “preparation” for any delayed surrender.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Look at your to-do list. Be brutally honest. How many tasks are you doing to feel productive vs. how many came from actually asking God what He wants you focused on? What will actually move His plan forward?
Step 2: Pick ONE thing you’ve been “preparing” for. Stop. Surrender it to God BEFORE you take another step.
Ask Him:
Is this even the thing You want me building?
What's the next step You want me to take?
Am I doing this because I heard You, or because I'm avoiding hearing You?
And if you’re still working on hearing God’s voice, keep seeking Him in the Word! The more we read the Word is the better understanding we get of God’s tone and vibe. Although, you don’t need to be a Bible scholar to be close to Him, you just have to start.
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”- James 4:8a (NKJV)
Step 3: Surrender to whatever He says, even if it means pivoting entirely. Even if it means all that prep was for a different season. Even if it means starting over.
Because wasted prep time is better than wasted YEARS going in a direction God never asked you to go in the first place.
Notice how much lighter you feel when you stop carrying plans God never asked you to execute. Notice how much clearer the path becomes when you surrender the route to the One who can actually see where you’re going.
Monday Move 💃🏾
Pop on this playlist of bops that got me through last week, take a moment to breathe, and leave with a reminder for the week ahead.
Your playlist:
The TLDR: “Productive” procrastination is just plancrastination. All that research, planning, and “figuring it out” doesn’t mean anything if you never surrendered and asked God what He actually wants you building. Stop trying to show up with a finished plan for God to bless. Start showing up with an open hand for God to fill. Surrender FIRST, HIS strategy second.
Practice Surrender IRL: Join Us This Thursday!
If you’re in New York (or willing to travel) and you’re ready to start the year off right, you’re welcome to our first Surrender Session of 2026.
When: January 15th @ 6 PM
Where: Harlem, NYC (Ominara Art & Tea Gallery)
What: A night of worship, prayer, and seeking God’s face for the first quarter of 2026. Bring your journal. We’re asking God: “What do You have in store for my year? What do You see for me in 2026? What do You want for my year, God?”
Space is limited because we want to keep this intimate. This is your chance to surrender everything that is not His will and step into 2026 with clarity and authority.
Register here!
Let’s Work Together! 🕊️
Reply to this email - I read and respond to every response and love hearing from you!
Forward this to someone who needs permission to stop planning and start surrendering! ✨
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Stay rooted in who you are. Keep rising in your calling!
Here for the journey with you ✨,
