The Power of Surrender.

The next 'S' word in this series of spiritual practises is 'Surrender.'
Often a hugely loaded word with visions of white flags flying and failure. Thoughts of Winston Churchill's speech of never surrendering with even Dido singing 'I will go down with this ship. And I won't put my hands up and surrender.' Indeed, one dictionary definition drips with the negative connotations associated with surrender, defined as:
'to stop resisting an opponent and submit to their authority.'
. Let's face it- British people are hard as old boots and after 2 world wars of the 'we-will-never-surrender' attitude (Amen!) it's not surprising that society has come to loathe the word  and concept of surrender.
 Furthermore, 'surrender' can be backhandedly used for oppression, suppression and belittling, of course I mean here my favourite topic of women's rights, with the word surrender being wrongly thrown into women's faces as the appropriate way to act, ie becoming a cleaning, cooking, baby making machine. Of course in a loving relationship you care more about the other's well being then yours so any idea of oppression however manipulative or subtle is not love, but that will no doubt be discussed in a separate blogpost.
Though 'surrender' has been lumped with these negative connotations, I would argue that surrender is not always a negative quality, that sometimes the strongest, most mature and indeed necessary thing to do is to hold up your hands and surrender.

So why should we embrace this idea of surrender in such a dog-eat-dog world?
*Because we cannot control everything.
I wish we could control this hurting world: but we can't. Do I despair of that or surrender myself to the fact that God has this world in his arms?

*Because Jesus did it
Jesus said, from the Lord's prayer: 'your will be done' and had many temptations and opportunities in his 3 year ministry to try things out his own way. When Lazarus was dying, the temptation to go to him would've been unbearable, but instead Jesus surrendered to God's will and Lazarus was raised from the dead- not bad!

*So that we don't have to worry.
Matthew 11 v 28 says: 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.'
To come to Jesus and throw your hands in the air and say 'you've got it, I don't.'  By relinquishing control to an almighty God who has the world in the palm of your hand. That's when worry starts to evaporate and burdened hearts are lifted. I know I regularly struggle with the concept of not worrying but it is something I am w
orking on!!

So how can we do this surrendering malarky on a day to day basis?
Well I have come up with 3 aspects I have learnt and are still learning that I need to surrender to a greater power, namely God, on a daily basis.

* Give up on doing it alone
Today's society is obsessed with pushing yourself forward. In reality programmes like 'America's Next Top Model' it's all about being the best and stepping on anyone who gets in your way. But as humans we are made for relationships. Being in any kind of relationship whether friendship, marriage or a relationship with a relative requires vulnerability and surrender. If we are vulnerable and surrender to our worldly relationships surely we are also called to surrender in our heavenly relationship with God.
Even Jesus checked everything out with God, relying on him acutely.
In John 5:19 Jesus says:
'Truly, truly I say to you, the son can do nothing of his own accord but only what he sees the Father doing.'
Can we honestly say that on a daily basis we surrender each of daily choices to God? Are we in constant prayer and communion with him?
Often when I am making a decision I talk to my Mum about it, then Gaz my boyfriend, then my Dad, then
my friends, then my acquaintances and THEN God. By surrendering to God in a relational way and being vulnerable, our relationship can really improve.

*Give up on perfection.
How many times have you heard people say: 'I'm such a perfectionist!' 'It all has to be perfect!'
What an impossible level to try and reach!! One of the year threes in my class recently said to me: 'Miss Ross everyone makes mistakes and that's ok!' This seemingly random interjection really took me by surprise but by the looks of his face it seems like this was a brand new revelation to him!
The bible says that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3 v 23.) Jesus said even if you think about sinning it's like you've sinned- we don't stand a chance! So sorry to break it to you folks but you can't be a perfectionist... as you can't achieve perfection!
Does this mean we should all sulk in our room and beat ourselves up about being sinners? No! The only way you can be washed as white as snow is surrendering to God's grace, accepting that by our own strength we don't amount to much and realising that his sacrifice on the cross was more than sufficient. Keep trying to strive for perfection ourselves will get us nowhere. Accepting and surrendering that through God's grace that it is ok if we fail will help us all progress as individuals.


* Lastly, give up on your five year plan.
I have always, always had a five year plan, looking at where I want to be in the not-to-distant future. When I was 14/15 my five year plan was to be married by the age of 18 and have my first child by 21. I am now 21.... no husband and DEFINITELY no children. Then I had plans to be Paolo Nutini's trumpet player.... and that didn't happen. I had plans to be a gospel singer, ethnomusicologist, housewife.. you name it! None of these plans are yet to become a reality and whereas I could look to the sky and ask God 'why?!' I can instead realise that these are not my plans for my life.
In Jeremiah 29 v11 it says:
For I know the plans I have for YOU declares the Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm you. To give you hope and a future.'
God has awesome plans for everyone, and when we step back and surrender our plans to him, asking him what he has for our lives that is when we can step into fullness of life. I am currently living in a state of uncertainty, unsure of where God wants me and Gaz to be. Where I could throw a strop for things not going my way, instead I choose to daily surrender my plans to God as I know he has much bigger and better plans. It is when you surrender control that life stops becoming worrying and starts becoming exciting.

I hope this blogpost has made you re-evaluate the concept of surrender, it was definitely a difficult one to write! Embrace it folks.
Peace out <3