Is surrender a dirty word? I think that depends on your definition of surrender. I see two kinds of surrender. One is choosing to give up before total defeat. I see that as self-preservation at the expense of my freedom. Then, there is the option of laying down my plans and expectations to get in step with better plans and results. I believe these two definitions coincide with whomever or whatever one chooses to surrender.
If one surrenders to imperfect people and structures, chances are it develops into a struggle for power and control over you and your choices. I have a friend who works in a large corporation. Due to unbridled human nature’s penchant [sin nature], to try to put oneself first, the HR department has a lot of regulations. These external regulations attempt to control and maintain order. They have power over employees, which is not always bad. Unfortunately, sometimes they make it impossible for one employee to help another in some situations, even when that assistance can help the corporation in the long run. It is not about relationship, but control and conformity.
When one surrenders to the God of love, who loves you more than you love yourself, the journey looks and feels very different. This path becomes a story of mutual relationship.
The journey of surrender to the God of love is always an adventure. No adventure is always safe, however, within this love relationship, we are never alone. When we surrender to a personal relationship with our Creator, it is Creator who gives us strength, favor, and the wisdom to know how to use them. We have the freedom to choose self-rule within the confines of the mutual, love relationship. We find ways to freely extend to others, the love and grace of God we have freely received. We look for the best in people and ways to help meet their needs, in ways that work beyond the structures of strict do’s and don’ts of HR departments and other overly strict structures.
Like originally well-intentioned HR departments, sometimes, the enemy uses “religious obligations” in churches, in an attempt to replace the space and function of relationship. Think for a moment. How many “shoulds” can you think of in relation to God? Those are the obligations I am talking about. What are originally intended as invitations to relationship, too many times become regulations we cannot maintain.
The good news is that a plan already exists for our freedom.
“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
The Spirit is always inviting us into deeper surrender, deeper relationship. And the deeper we go, the more “shoulds” we put off. And the more “shoulds” we put off, the more we find the promised love relationship with God.
It is in this place of surrender we find our freedom in love, and discover our “real” selves, the selves Abba knit together in our mother’s womb.
Is surrender a dirty word? In Christ, we each have the choice, and the power to choose.
