Today, we are looking at surrender. If you are like many Christians, you may think that surrender means losing control or giving up something that you enjoy in exchange for some potentially uncomfortable or painful circumstance. Whatever the reason is, if we decide not to surrender, it keeps us from what our hearts long for – to see the glory of God realized and experienced in our personal lives.
The other thought about surrender is that I am giving up my rights. Here we are not talking about legal rights that you have with the government, your job, or the football federation. We are talking about the rights you believe you have as a person interacting with other people. So, what are the rights you believe you have?
There are three common positions or attitudes we hold on to:
“Things must be a certain way in order for me to be okay.”
(I need to be healthy, happy, have a certain job, money or career, be married, get divorced, have children, etc.)
“People must be a certain way in order for me to be okay.”
(I need to be loved, understood, and respected by my spouse, child, and friends, have others affirm me, have others be happy, etc.)
“I must be a certain way in order for me to be okay.”
(I need to do the right things, I cannot fail, I need to be perfect, I need to make others happy, I need to be successful, etc.)
Here are some common misconceptions about what happens if I surrender:
• “If I surrender, I will lose control, and things will get out of control.”
• “Surrender means accepting that I will have difficult circumstances.”
• “If I surrender, things will get worse.”
• “Surrender means letting go of my desires.”
Surrender is actually a position in your mind and heart that puts your dependence on God to live life. It is also an attitude of being willing for the Lord to use any circumstances in our lives to accomplish His purposes and to reveal Himself to us in very personal ways.
When your heart and mind are surrendered to God, your actions will reflect that. What does that look like? When we surrender, we let go of our own efforts to manage and control the circumstances, people and our own expectations in our lives. Surrender allows us to truly rest from our own efforts to control and gives us the opportunity to see what God is doing in our lives in very personal and practical ways.
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