I do not often understand surrender, but this morning I think I get it.
For many years surrender has been a make believe destination. Some lucky, saintly travelers travel there, but most just dream of it.
I have been a dreamer of this the land of surrender. I have been admirer and advocate. Even a striver to get there.
But this morning I realize it is not a make believe place. It is actually not that far away. The road is clear. The signs are easy to read. But traveling it is about one thing:
Surrender is about offering what you have when you have it.
If you feel good – offer it.
If you feel bad – offer it.
And here is the big one:
If you feel indifferent – offer it.
Surrender is found in the act of offering.
All of life is what is offered in surrender. Sometimes all is simply all you have in the moment. If all you have feels like very little, you offer it anyway. Offer it with laughter, and with tears. Offer it in both moments of clarity and in confusion. Offer it when life ebbs and when it flows.
It is in any and every kind of moment that surrender happens. In other words, it happens in the present, in the now. As moments come and go, you are in need of actively offering and renewing surrender. Constantly offering up that which is new and enfolding.
In a moment before I rolled out of bed, clarity hit me as I prayed this simple prayer:
God, I offer my today to You.
In that moment, I got that I got surrender.
It was a prayer in a moment. The prayer will not even be valid for the entire day. But it was surrender. It was real. It was all that I had in that moment. And it was offered to God.
It is start to a new life in a new place.
I choose this morning to take up residence in the land of surrender.
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This is the third in an ongoing series of posts called Sunday morning coming down. It is whatever is on my heart as Sunday falls. Check out other posts at www.yourfallowground.com