The Surrender Series: What Does it Mean to Surrender?

But what does it mean to surrender? It is a tenet of Christianity and other religions and philosophies. It is the foundation of 12-step recovery programs. Many self-help gurus espouse it. Whole volumes have been written about this subject. However, as a life-long Christion and a 40+ year practitioner of 12-step recovery, I’d like to share my thoughts and what I believe it means.

I believe it means to stop worrying about a situation, problem, another person’s life, relationships, career, etc. It means to stop overthinking, obsessing, or perseverating. It means to stop trying to control other people, institutions, outcomes, etc. It means finding peace in knowing that you have done — to the best of your ability and knowledge — what you can do to avoid a situation, reason with another person, speak your mind to an institution, handle a problem, overcome a challenge — and then letting go of or surrendering the outcomes of your actions to a God of your understanding. It means believing in and trusting that things will work out the way they will and trusting that no matter the outcome, with God at your side, you will prevail — knowing and trusting that whatever is best for you and others will be the case. It is trusting that God will give you and others the grace to get through — even if what you imagine to be the worst scenario occurs. Finally, it means turning your will over to the care of God, as you understand God, and trusting every aspect of your life to your God.

I have known hundreds of people who have found peace of mind and joy despite incredibly difficult circumstances. It works. That’s not surprising, given that this is one of the primary themes of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Hundreds of passages exhort us to trust God, surrender to his will, stop worrying, etc. It was one of Jesus’ primary themes as well. So, I believe it’s something God wants us to do — if we want to experience peace of mind and success in life, I think he wants for us.

So, how do you do that? We’ll get into that in my next post. Stay tuned and remember, God’s got this — whatever “this” is.

By the way, I hope we can build a community of support around surrender. I welcome your comments!