Surrender…how?
Many books tout the benefits of surrendering. The divine guidance it avails, peace, and good results. It sounds so easy. And sometimes it is. When a minor flaw is in your design, when you realize you can’t convince another person of something, when someone makes a mistake, or you do, it is actually calming to surrender.
But surrender isn’t just a word that causes you to forfeit desired results—it’s an action word. It must include trust to take effect in your life.
We find it hard to surrender when some entities are in charge: bosses, partners, government, or world leaders with whom we strongly disagree. And trust plays a massive role in our ability to surrender.
Trust develops from our beliefs. Beliefs are a choice. We take them for granted. They seem like a part of us. But they can be changed.
(Caveat: When we don’t trust someone because we have a history that created the belief in their untrustworthiness, that is an informed conviction and can keep us safe and sane!)
We can develop a High Belief. A high belief is the fundamental trust that your life has a path and purpose, that there is something greater than us operating in the universe, an omniscient, divine energy that supports our journey. It makes surrender easier. This trust/belief is developed through studying divine principles, being in stillness, gathering with others who share this belief, seeking evidence that you already have this guidance, and knowing all is as it should be and is for our benefit. When obstacles thwart one path, it could be pointing to a better path.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing. There are times when doing ‘what is good for you’ may increase your anxiety or discomfort. For example, if you’re doing breathing exercises and your heart begins to race. This wouldn’t be beneficial. Relax and breathe easily.
We’ve all experienced moments when we would like someone close to us to be different from the way they are. We notice things about our home we don’t like. We don’t want to accept the way our bodies are, or something else about ourselves. We often notice all the things in our lives that we don’t like! People are swept up in the egoic dance of judgment—projecting their unconscious fears onto others, adding negative energy to mass consciousness.
STOP. Surrender being right.
What happened to the wonder? The very miracle of you being alive? Shifting into wonder becomes easier when we surrender. It opens the door. Anything in your surroundings can be seen with a sense of wonder.
When I was in my senior year in high school, our wonderful art teacher, Mrs. Urda Edgar, chose a few of us for an advanced art class, two hours every day! For weeks, I was fascinated with hands, drawing and painting hands in this class. I was in deep wonder what hands could do, what they’ve created, cared for, repaired, and how they’d shown love. You can pick anything around you and shift into wonder!
This reminds me of a quote:
An excerpt from, When is a Person Educated? by Joseph Fort Newton
“…When he can be happy alone and high-minded amid the drudgeries of life. When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something besides mud, and into the face of the most forlorn mortal and see something divine….”
Surrendering to what is doesn’t mean acceptance of the status quo. The way we are using it here means not being emotionally opposed to whatever it is. There are pragmatic ways to take action for positive change.
Surrender is a technique you can use for any troubles or mental anguish. With high trust, you can go forth and truly surrender.
Books recommended for this purpose:
Living Untethered and The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer, and Letting Go, the Pathway of Surrender by Dr. David Hawkins.
