Surrender is a last resort. It’s something one does when there is no other way out. The battle is lost and, in order to survive, surrender becomes the only choice. But when we lose that battle and finally give in, it can lead to our greatest triumph.
You may be thinking that doesn’t sound right. Because we are taught that surrender—any form of giving up—is wrong.
And there are times when conflict is called for, such as when we fight for righteousness or confront evil. Or when we defend those who need protection or pursue a worthy cause and courageously persevere. And sometimes it’s when we just take one more step.
But, in life and in faith, we can only find ultimate victory when we choose to surrender. And when dealing with God, surrender isn’t about giving up. It’s about giving in, and letting go. Because only in that way can we receive all that God wants us to have.
“To the ego mind, surrender means giving up. To the spiritual mind, surrender means giving in and receiving.” (Marianne Williamson)
Unconditional Surrender
Unconditional means complete and absolute, not limited and not subject to any conditions.
At the end of WW II, the Axis Powers were not in position to set conditions for their surrender. On May 7, 1945, the German High Command, in the person of General Alfred Jodl, finally did sign the unconditional surrender of all German forces at Reims, in northwestern France.
But the way we normally move toward surrender, we often try to do it on our own terms.
- “I’ll give up that one little bad habit but still hold onto the other one that I like more. “
- “I’ll surrender on weekdays since I have to work but still do what I want on the weekends.”
- “Maybe I’ll surrender to God sometime in the future, and I’m sure he’ll wait and understand.”
- “I’ll give in to God on little things I don’t care much about and hope he’ll take care of the big ones for me.”
- “My life is not where I want it to be and everything seems dark. I have nothing left, what does God want from me?”
Yet God continues to call for our unconditional surrender.
Surrender is an all-in proposition. Many of life’s biggest steps of surrender are: love, faith, recovery. You’re either all in, or you aren’t in at all.
But we feel we can cut a deal with the Creator of the Universe. Bargain with the all-powerful and all-knowing God. Hedge our bets with the One in control of all things past, present, and future. All to find some clever way to still get what we ultimately want to get.
And the more conditional we try to make our arrangement with God, the less it resembles what he desires in our surrender.
Going Beyond Surrender
Sometimes, even when we think we are choosing to surrender, we are really trying to operate according to our timing to get the answer that we want and especially if it’s not too hard. Human beings, whether they know it or not, are relentlessly focused on SELF.
That’s not unconditional surrender. And God wants even more from us than that.
God wants us to obey. To have faith. And to still praise him even during our worst circumstances.
“To praise God is to express our acceptance of something that God is permitting to happen. So to praise God for difficult situations, as sickness or disaster, means literally that we accept its happening, as part of God’s plan to reveal His perfect love for us.” (Merlin Carothers in his book Power in Praise)
Because, even in the toughest situations, we are called to accept God’s answer with no conditions.
Even when it seems to be the worst thing that could happen to us. And accept God’s timing when it is totally different than our timing. And understand when God does not choose to give us any answer. To not only set no conditions on our surrender but to also choose to go all in.
That goes totally against how we want to act and how the world encourages us to be.
But when we surrender, unconditionally, we don’t lose the battle—we win!
Question: What part of your life is the toughest for you to surrender?
Action: Dwell for a few minutes on what it would be like to totally let go.
