Can Surrender Be a Good Thing?

sur·ren·der

cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority. capitulate, give in, give (oneself) up, give way, yield, concede (defeat), submit, climb down, back down, cave in, relent, crumble;

Above is the internet definition of surrender and it has a very negative connotation. I have recently been reminded that all surrender is bad. Over the last few years, I have pushed back against changes in my life, but which have now come into clear focus as being the absolute best things that could have happened to me for the place I am in right now.

My husband wanted to become an independent financial advisor, I pushed against the security and safety of being with the firm he had been with for 10 years. Later, he wanted to move into new offices, then had to move into new offices, I pushed against the familiar and the change. I had an easy comfortable job that let me be flexible with my children, but I didn’t love it – I pushed against God’s calling to do more, to be more. My work decided to downsize my position, and I pushed back against that decision, I was angry, I was hurt to think I wasn’t needed or wanted.

But all along God was planting seeds of desire within me, setting up the stepping stones, I would need and in the end -giving me a huge shove -when I wouldn’t surrender to His Will. If my husband had stayed with his firm or in his first location, I couldn’t have located my new office in his building. If I had the shove of being downsized, I might not have taken the leap to start my own business.

As I live in the surrender -I learned to recently embrace – I feel lighter, more at peace than I have in many years. Daily, I surrender my life to His will.