“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Strength and surrender aren’t two words commonly seen together. In fact, to our ego mind, it is an oxymoron. To our Soul Self, however, not only does it activate and take strength to surrender, but it is also the gateway to spiritual strength and divine love. It brings us into alignment with the flow and synergy of all life.
Let’s explore why this is.
When we are in survival mode, our ego’s main role and function is to keep us ‘alive’, in the most primitive form. It is therefore operating from separation consciousness and takes control. Until the ego is merged and serves the heart, our Soul Self, it will come from a place of defense, fear, and insecurity. This sets us up to be in conflict, drama, and competition, fostering the need to be ‘in control’ of everything. This irony is that this sets us up to betray our true authentic Self, which creates more pain, suffering, judgment, separation, and struggle.
Therefore, to ponder the concept of surrender when we are operating from this consciousness means to the ego that we are ‘giving up, abdicating, conceding, defeated, failing, caving in, abandoning and victimized’.
This is why it takes strength to let go and surrender, because we are learning how to relinquish this false sense of security, which can feel extremely scary as these aspects of our ego concepts are deconstructed.
As we begin to cultivate a conscious connection and steady relationship with our Soul Self, we become more of a soul-infused personality. And in doing so, we can then begin to understand a different, more evolved expression of surrender.
The Soul defines surrender as ‘aligning, connecting, unifying, bonding, devoting and softening’. It is a conscious alignment to the flow of all life – a sacred allowing and merging, a coming ‘home’ and is the foundation of deep intimacy and alignment.
So, the paradox is that to enhance our sense of self-control, we need to ‘let go of control and surrender’.
This is a conscious choice, not an abdication of responsibility or action. We recognize where we are coercing, forcing, manipulating, and resisting and begin to soften and come into a state of allowing.
This is in fact a very healing and empowering process because we can discover the attachments and expectations we have that are fueling our need to be over-controlling. Our attachments are aspects of ourselves that are wounded and fearful and in need of healing and integration. Until this healing occurs, we will seek something outside of us to feel fulfilled, safe, happy, loved, etc., which ultimately can never be truly satisfied because what we are seeking can only be satiated from within.
This is the grace of surrender.
When we stop fighting ourselves, the Universe, and the natural flow of things, we cease resisting, hiding, and rejecting what is.
When we have the courage to release our attachments and expectations, we let go of needing to know the ‘why, when, who, and how’. This opens the potential for positive change to flow, which fosters lightness, happiness, and freedom. Fresh clarity and solutions can then come in. We can then see things anew and from new perspectives.
When we are in the state of allowing, we are tapping into the space of infinite creativity, opening us to new possibilities where we can bring the unseen into the seen. The unknown into the known. The mystery to mastery. From disempowerment to empowerment. From fear to love.
To be in surrender means our minds are open and fluid, we are teachable and humble. It’s when we are allowing our faith in the light to be stronger than our fear of the darkness.
It also fosters the gift of giving grace to others, allowing them to be where they are and in the organic flow of their process, even if it’s very different than our own. This offers the blessing to the self of unconditional love and freedom.
Namaste
