Surrender is Not a Sign of Weakness
Guest Post by Heart and Soul Health Coach Mike Fenton
Often surrender is interpreted as a sign of weakness, however it is not. Surrender is a sign of strength, and the first step in learning to become humble as we are told we should in James 4:10 which says “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up”.
It is through surrender we are able to let go of our ego and with it all the negative feelings, attitudes and beliefs that make us miserable and is the basis of many of our illnesses and problems. We become miserable because the ego is self-serving and is always looking out for its own best interests. When things do not go “its” way, the ego becomes upset. It was unable to feed its insatiable appetite for more of “me”.
We are reminded in Philippians 2:3-4 3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others”. When we surrender we become selfless, and we put the interests of others before our own.
Surrender is not a sign of weakness, but it’s difficult to look past what we feel is best for “ourselves”. It’s all a part of an internal survival instinct that tells us we must first look after ourselves.
Surrender means becoming bigger than our “self” and when we do, we bring ourselves to a higher level of consciousness and awareness. It is through this higher level of awareness that we begin to focus on who we are becoming, not on what we do or even have.
We begin to care more about the needs of others and have a willingness to offer help. We choose to be a part of the solution, instead of a part of the problem. The old “self” has gone and we no longer look to be self-serving.
Through surrender and humility we are lifted up just as it is referred to in the Book of James. We no longer feel we need to feed the ego because we are confident in who we are, and in the choices we make. We are strong enough to surrender and humbled enough to put the interests of others first.
As it is written in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength”.
If thou desire the love of God and man, be humble, for the proud heart, as it loves none but itself, is beloved of none but itself. Humility enforces where neither virtue, nor strength, nor reason can prevail.
Francis Quarles (1592 – 1644)
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