Reflections On Surrender

Surrender-----what an amazingly powerful word.  It often engenders the thought of weakness and cowardice.  In my case, it required all the strength I had to be brave enough to follow the invisible into the unknown. ___Michael A. Singer  
 
To me surrendering to the Divine is a life long process.  Sometimes I am able to simply let go and let God take control, and at other times I frantically try to control my environment and everything in it.
I can remember traveling to Tahoe one stormy winter afternoon, and as my husband Greg and I were driving over the summit, the car suddenly started sliding and spinning and all we could see was the great beyond.

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It was evident that we would be flying over the rail and plunging hundreds of feet below.  Suddenly our car turned sharply and straightened out.  The only thing that plunged below was our license plate that was ripped off by the railing.  We were amazed and grateful!
 
Greg and I had just finished reading the book Creating Miracles: Understanding the Experience of Divine Intervention by Carolyn Miller and felt so surrendered that we knew in the depth of our being that we would be fine no matter what happened. 
 
At that time, we were experiencing some of the essential elements that are necessary for surrender to happen. We felt humbled and in awe of a presence, a keen awareness of the moment, and an openness and trust in the Divine.   We were willing to take responsibility for our part in whatever was about to happen. We felt a deep gratitude for life itself, and most importantly we realized the grace that was coming from Divine intervention.
 
Grace that comes from that Divine Presence guides us on our journey.  Just like the sun shines on all of us, so does grace. As we become open and receptive to the grace, we become more aware of it working in our lives. 
 
I like the way a friend of mine, Rebecca Grado, wrote about grace in one of her newsletters.  She says, “Grace is the infinite love, wisdom, and mercy offered to each of us from the Higher Realms.  It reveals itself in the countless blessings and the loving protection bestowed upon us on a daily basis.  Theologians describe grace as an unmerited demonstration of God’s love for us.  We may think of it as the benevolent source of energy that gently guides us on our journey through life.  Or we may experience it as the unseen hand of God that lifts us up when we are down, and lights our way through dark times.  The truth is that our lives become infinitely blessed when we are open to receive this ever present guidance that abounds.”
 
I believe surrender to that Grace involves humbly putting our ego on the backburner and allowing whatever we refer to as God to take the lead. Our ego can be helpful in the sense that it gives structure to our existence.  However, whenever we let it take the lead by identifying with the world’s material aspects, we tend to fear change, contracting and controlling in a desperate attempt to hold onto what we see as the security of the familiar. 
 
In his book, Still Here, famous psychologist and spiritual teacher, Ram Dass, says: “The Ego realm includes all of the things we experience as ‘ourselves’ on the psycho-physical plane: our physical bodies, our personalities, fame, reputation, possessions, emotions, and the conceptual structures within our minds that develop to help us function here.  The Ego, to borrow Descartes’ famous saying, is made of who “we think” we are: a body-mind of a certain age, with certain tastes, desires, and opinions.  Peering out at the world, this Ego sees only other Egos, separate, sensory beings, and takes as its ‘operating system’ what science is able to explain, with the brain ‘computer’ its sole conveyor…  Getting the Ego to release its grip can be as simple as being able to experience what’s present at any given time.”
 
Surrender means that the ego no longer fights for control and is subjected to a deeper part of one’s self – to that part that is connected to the Divine. Surrendering is a sacred journey that involves the aligning of one’s will to the Will of that Divine Consciousness.
 
Next month I would like to continue by talking about the process of surrender and some thoughts about how to let go of our need to control, and how to trust in the Divine Wisdom.
 
Please feel free to tell us your own experiences regarding surrender by writing in the comment box below. Thank you!
 
Love and Peace,
Mary

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