Past Topics : Habits of Health Tuesdays

Surrendering

A path away from pride and Ego – towards developing humility

Why it is so difficult

Giving up and surrendering can be, or is, one of the most difficult things for any individual to do.

It has been proven in the case of Japan that surrendering was a great boon for their country, their economy, and the people of Japan. Many other cases of surrender can be cited to exemplify the benefits.

Most notable is the quote: “What we resist, persists.”

Japan knew to whom and what they were surrendering to. I can’t and will not say that what brought them to submission was good. However, it sometimes takes what it takes to get the attention needed for the process to proceed.

For an individual it sometimes takes bottoming out before they will admit defeat and let go of the control that is the source of their continued suffering.

The most difficult part of surrender is knowing that you have to turn control of your life over to something other than yourself. If you are at the bottom with no serenity, joy, or vision in your life, and you continue to keep doing the things you’ve been doing, you are going to receive the same results.

BUT the question? Who or what do I turn the care of my life over to? To whom or what do I surrender?

If you are not Spiritual and do not believe in a living God, then the answer becomes very nebulous. Parents, Family, Friends, Mentors, Acquaintances, Pastors, Priests, the Government, any human being, anything created will fail you at some time or another. If the only one in whom you’ve ever trusted is yourself, relinquishing that trust seems almost impossible.

Step 1 in the 1-step program (paraphrasing): We came to believe that our thinking and our actions were insane and if we continued down the existing path we were on, we would never get better.

Step 2 brought us to the conclusion (via reasoning) that if we couldn’t have happiness, joy, and serenity through our own willpower, we probably ought to find a power greater than ourselves that could provide it.

Step 3 — After much contemplation, confusion, discussion, and discernment, you’ve decided that if you were going to turn your life over to a power greater than yourself, it ought to be the greatest, biggest, most powerful entity that has ever existed. Many indicated that the entity we are looking for is God the Creator.

Finding no other options, no other place to turn, we slowly, or instantly, decided that we would try (make the attempt) to accept God (as they the founders of the 12- step program understood Him) and allow Him to become part of our lives.

Developing that trust is probably one of the most difficult things an individual will ever have to do. I know individuals who have gotten to that belief just through normal living. However, if you were taught that He (God) was a punishing God, that He was the one responsible for all of the disasters in your lives, then turning your life over would be impossible, to say the least.

That said, if you can change your definition, your belief, and start to believe that God is pure love, that He has your best interests at heart, that He truly wants the best for you, then it becomes much easier to surrender. You have every right to believe whatever you want to believe.

Japan attacked the United States, fighting aggressively against us. I would imagine that in considering surrendering to us, they figured we would want restitution, would want revenge. As it turned out, the opposite happened. The United States assisted them in regaining their world status. Trust didn’t occur overnight, it took place over time.

Getting to know God doesn’t need to happen instantaneously. Give yourself time to gain new knowledge, accept guidance, and then using your own discernment, you can draw your own conclusions.

Together (with God) i Can

 

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Michael McCright
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Togetherican.com
October 21, 2015

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