Surrender
Surrender: “to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand. To give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another. To give (oneself) up into the power of another. To give (oneself) over to something (such as an influence).” We surrender to so many things in this life. We surrender ourselves to work, allowing it to consume us both during work hours and not. We surrender to family responsibilities, often finding it difficult or near impossible to peel ourselves away from family life and its duties. We surrender to vices, allowing unhealthy coping mechanisms like drinking, smoking, shopping, or even substance use to consume us. We surrender to toxic relationships, allowing our boundaries, identities, and well-being to be attacked and sometimes destroyed. We surrender to society and what we think we need to be or present to the world. We are a people of surrender, and yet somehow, we struggle to surrender our lives to the One who created us, God.
I struggle with surrender daily. I want to be the pilot of my own plane. The captain of my own ship. The queen of my own kingdom. Driver of my own bus. But when I sit in that driver’s seat, I come away exhausted, weary, and defeated, every, single, time. Every day I tell my clients, “You can’t fill up someone else’s cup unless yours is already filled.” I preach this with such conviction, yet I find myself holding a cup in each hand, trying to fill each up with the other while simultaneously pouring them into other’s cups. Take a moment to try and picture that, it’s a complete nightmare, like the Mad Hatter’s tea party gone horrifically wrong. I use to believe that not only could I fill my own cup, but I that I was strong enough, smart enough, brave enough, and good enough to carry myself up every mountain to reach every goal I had set for myself.
Most, if not every one of you, can probably relate. It is eternally exhausting to try and do all of the things while being all of the things. We will fail every time. What makes it so hard to surrender our lives entirely to God? Well, everything. Society tells us that we can and should do it all on our own. It tells us that we should constantly be striving for perfection in all areas of life. Our homes should be Martha Stewart Magazine worthy, we should be at the top of our career game, our families must be picture perfect, and our appearance needs to reach certain standards. Oh, and let’s not forget that on top of all these requirements, we should also be traveling regularly on exotic vacations to have all of the social media worthy photos. We live in a world that constantly tells you that you need more, you need perfection, and you need to create it, all on your own through your own strength. I don’t know about you, but I need rest. I have finally thrown my hands up in the air and admitted that I cannot do this life on my own. I have accepted that I am not powerful enough, smart enough, or strong enough to control every aspect of my life. I need to surrender, we all do.
Matthew 11:28-29 says, “Come unto me, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; and ye shall find rest to your souls.” Oh perfect, God already thought this one out for us! But what does finding rest in Him look like, and how do we do this? It appears to be a simple invitation, but this directive is a tall order to say the least. For me, surrendering has looked like acceptance, faith, obedience, and repetition. It’s been this combination that has brought me gently to my knees in a state of rest, time and time again.
Acceptance: Accepting that you are not God has been its own journey. Sure, humans are powerful (thanks be to God), but we are no match for the Creator Himself. We can launch into space, we can heal the sick, we can build formidable skyscrapers, and we can even harness solar and wind power for energy. We have accomplished some hefty achievements. But God said it best (He usually does) when He responded to Job’s questioning of God’s righteousness in Job:38 4-14, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone, while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment, and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, This far you may come and no farther, here is where you proud waves halt? Have you ever given orders to the morning or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it?” You see, humans are a force to be reckoned with, but we, are no match for God. I did not create the earth or set the stars in place. I have never created a human being from dust or landscaped an entire plant from my imagination. I am simply no match for my God. Accepting that I am mortal, with limits, and that neither my power, nor any of my character traits can measure up to the goodness, divinity, and power of God.
Faith: In accepting that I am not God and that control over my life and others has hard set limits made room for my faith to grow. Having faith in the goodness of God, even in the midst of chaos and tragedy is not easy. But I have found that when you cannot praise God for what He has allowed, you can still praise God for who He IS in what He has allowed. God is good, all of the time, and His love for us will never fail. This is echoed in Romans 8:31-32, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” With God, anything is possible.
Obedience: Accepting my human limitations, and putting my faith is God was great! But believing without acting is a lifeguard throwing you a floatation ring, and you know/believe it will save you from drowning if you just grab hold, but you don’t grab hold and continue to drown. Knowing and believing without action is like a pilot announcing that your plane has lost pressure and you need to put your masks on, the masks drop, and you simply sit and stare at them until you pass out. It’s like knowing that wearing a seatbelt while in a vehicle could save your life but choosing not to wear it every single time. I could go on and on with examples, but you get the gist. It is not enough to simply know of God, we need to act on it. There are a few ways that I have been learning to act on my faith in obedience to God. First, I’ve been reading the Scripture. What better way to get to know God, then through reading everything He has written for us to know Him through? The Bible holds too many wonderful ways to learn about God for this post (future post hint) but diving into the written Word of God and learning what He asks of His children is a great way to learn how God calls us into obedience. Prayer is another way I’ve been surrendering to the Lord. When I can’t control it, I can’t change it, and I can’t “manifest” it, I pray for it, pray on it, and pray through it. God is always listening and delights in communicating with us through prayer.
Repetition: Listen, we are not going to start this walk with Christ and have it change us immediately. It takes repetition. Surrendering to God is a daily practice for me, through reading Scripture, obedience to His laws and commandments, and prayer, I surrender more times a day than I could count. Letting go and letting God has been one of the most difficult things I have ever done, but day after day, God proves faithful with everything I give Him. And day after day, I find the rest He promised. We don’t have to carry this life on our shoulders, and we don’t have to carry it alone, my sweet friend, we were never meant to live that way. Give your burdens to God, lay down your selfish desire to control your life and the world around you, and abide in Christ. Let God do the work He always intended to do, and let yourself be led in loving, humble, surrender.