Surrender and Healing

Surrender. Blech! I could not understand what it means to “surrender,” having been raised in middle America with a strong sense of self-reliance, responsibility, and work ethic that demands you keep working at it until the job is done. You don’t give up and you don’t turn your problems over to someone else to deal with. No wonder I’ve been stumbling around “working” on healing and spiritual development for over 40 years! 

Luckily, I’ve started making progress in the last several years, because I’ve finally reframed my perception of Surrender. Christ said surrender to him all that burdens us, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the thought of dumping my problems in His lap and then somehow being free. The freedom comes from releasing my ego and little mind from trying to resolve a problem at the level in which it was created (remember, Einstein said that was a no-no). Surrendering allows me to receive help from a Higher vantage point, where there is infinite understanding, love, support and guidance available, simply by asking.

Because we were given Free Will, Spirit does not step in to solve our problems or provide guidance unless we specifically request it (except occasionally in extreme cases). Our sojourn here on earth is to encounter the restrictions and polarities (okay, let’s just call it “suffering” because that’s how most of us experience this life of duality), and to find our way back home to Love, Peace and Joy despite what happens in this physical 3D existence. 

However, the safety valve is that God KNOWS we will get overwhelmed, and need help and healing, because this world was set up as a huge challenge with blindfolds on. He is EXPECTING us to call out for help, to use our free will to surrender our egoic struggles and tiny self-reliance. He is waiting for this, for us to bring it all to Him, so that all of the angelic help and infinite guidance can be released to support us on our journey. There’s no shame or failure in surrendering, it’s like passing the baton as expected in a relay race. It’s like giving your boss a heads-up that there’s trouble, but you are alert to learn what to do as your part to resolve it.

It’s great to be self-reliant and responsible in a complex world, and when we expand our ideas of surrender to include asking for divine support, we can learn the higher meaning of surrender and experience our Higher Self-reliance.