People on a spiritual path of self-knowing like to use the word “surrender”. Those of us who aren’t capable of surrendering aren’t going to have much luck finding the core of our being—our divine nature. We won’t be able to love or truly learn and grow. We’ll be stiff and defended and closed off…
One thing we need surrendering to is God’s will, because without that, we’re SOL…And let’s be clear, truth and God are synonymous…What else needs surrendering to? For one, our own feelings…We also need to surrender to the people we love. We need to trust them and give them the benefit of the doubt…
Refusing to surrender has to do with lack of trust as well as suspicion and fear, and a general misunderstanding that we’ll be giving up our autonomy along with our ability to make decisions in the future. But our holding out creates a supercharged self-will that wears a person out. As a result, we run on an empty tank…
Surrendering, on the other hand, is a movement of fullness. When we give over and let go, enrichment must follow; it’s a natural law…But, wow, it so doesn’t work to just say ‘surrendering is the key.’ If only it were that simple. For example, are we to surrender to someone who truly can’t be trusted?...
There is an indispensable need to have a discriminating mind that knows when to trust…Surrendering does not mean to give up our ability to make good choices. Rather, in surrendering, we may see that a change of course is appropriate…The rough terrain to navigate is the interim stage in which we’re not quite whole and therefore objective enough to fully let go into an inner yielding attitude without which it’s impossible to become more whole. So we must try…
There is, in fact, no contradiction between surrendering and standing up for what’s right. Neither is possible without the other; they are both vital halves of one complete whole…Oddly, it takes a mountain of courage to believe in God’s truth and our power to carry it out into the world.
Listen and learn more.
Gems, Chapter 15: Surrendering to the Double-Sided Nature of Duality
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