The question of how to surrender has been asked for as long as there have been people. Whenever someone recognizes that there is a power greater than themselves who has a plan for their life, they are invited to surrender to that plan. Yet for as long as people have tried to do this, they have discovered that surrender is not easy.
How, then, does one go about surrendering? Is there a special formula to follow, the perfect words to say, or some kind of remedy that makes surrender effortless?
The first step toward surrender is discerning what the Lord is asking of us. This discernment is possible only through prayer. Without a personal relationship with God, strengthened through ongoing communication, we cannot come to understand His plan for our lives. When we listen carefully, the right path is gradually revealed to our hearts and minds. What God asks of us may be difficult. It may involve changing where we live or work, standing firm in a moral conviction that causes division, or accepting physical suffering. Surrender requires trusting God’s plan once it has been discerned.
Trust can be pictured as a child standing at the edge of a pool while a parent encourages them to jump into their arms. The child feels fear, but when they finally leap and are caught, that fear gives way to joy. Trusting God is not easy. As human beings, we sometimes struggle to trust those we can see, let alone God, whom we cannot see. Spiritual trust often takes time. At times, we try to convince God to change His plan so that it aligns more closely with what feels safe to us. Even Jesus did this in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He asked the Father if there might be another way to bring salvation to humanity besides the Cross.
This leads to the final step, resignation. The word resignation often carries a negative meaning, suggesting reluctant acceptance. In the spiritual sense, however, resignation means choosing to do what God asks because we trust that His plan is better than our own. After asking for another way to fulfill His mission, Jesus ultimately prayed, “not my will, but Yours be done.”
These three steps are essential to practicing the virtue of surrender in our lives. They are not easy, but with God’s help, they are possible.
