Surrender. Wow - what a word. For a type-A personality like me, it used to seem synonymous with “giving up.” Not me, I’m a fighter. I’m going to make plans and make them happen. Right? Well...
Have you heard the phrase, “Man plans and God laughs”? So true. (Side note: I believe in a gentle loving God, and I believe He laughs in delight because He knows he has such bigger and better things for me than I ever could plan.) As I worked through retraining, every day seemed like I was slogging through chest deep water. And if you are a retrainer, you know nothing is linear. My path looked more like a two-year old’s scribble drawing. Colorful, messy, and pretty random.
And full confession, while what I was holding onto was unhelpful, it was mine. It was all I knew. Can you relate? I didn’t know how to surrender, and who would I be if I surrendered? The thought was overwhelming, and I retreated to the familiar time and time again, no matter how uncomfortable it was.
Then, while listening to a Joe Dispenza meditation, he kept using the word surrender. And he had a beautiful visualization. Take what you’re struggling with, put it in a box (I gift-wrapped mine in my head) and hand it through a door to a higher power. Then close the door, and breathe. The feeling of peace and relief I felt as I repeated this meditation night after night was real and immediate. As I continued to practice surrender, I noticed that all of those things I was surrendering were replaced with things so much better - peace, joy, health. Clutching what was familiar was holding me back. By letting go, I freed up my life for so much more.
Surrender. It’s not easy. But it is so powerful. What are you holding on to? Put it in a box, open the door, give it to a higher power and breathe. Soak in the light. You deserve this. And you’ve got this!
