“Today, I surrender to God – making no promises but merely asking for His aid” . This is the first of seven statements in The Path from the Samson Society – a brotherhood of men who are learning how to live their lives in Christ and with each other.
For some strange reason, when I thought of that phrase this morning, the lyrics from the song “Surrender” by Cheap Trick came to mind. What I kept hearing in my head was “”…surrender, surrender, but don’t give yourself away…”" It’s an interesting thought but something that I don’t think can be accomplished. In fact, the very essence of surrender is to give up and admit that you have been defeated.
We all like to think of ourselves as free. So why is the idea of surrender so difficult? I suppose its that we perceive that to do so will cost me my liberty, the independence and freedom that I cling to. You see, if I really think about it, I’ve been surrendering for years…to the multitude of “idols” and “gods” that I’ve given myself over too all these years. Initially, these “idols” appear benign but over time, I relinquished control and the very things that I thought I had control over eventually controlled me. You see, we give our “power” over to these things and begin turning to them for comfort and to cope with the difficulties in life. The release of the chemicals it produces helps to manage our moods and by managing our moods, we can try and control our world.
We tell ourselves that we can draw the line – only drink in certain social situations, or gamble on the weekends with the guys but eventually, this “god” will drag us across that line and as the line continues to move, we lose the freedom to choose. Our only hope lies in surrendering to a power greater than the one that holds us captive.
Surrender, like the healing and freedom that often accompany it, is a progressive thing. It happens slowly over time. Surrender is something that we must choose to do on a daily basis. That is why we in the Samson Society recognize the need for daily prayer, study and self-examination (step 4 in The Path). It is a part of the path that leads to life and godliness. So, when I feel turbulent, restless, stressed or discontented, I recognize the signs that the flesh is attempting to exert its control and I retreat to God. I take refuge in a call to a brother to share with him the deceitfulness of my thinking and am reminded that there is grace for today…that His mercies are new today and that, as I surrender my plans and expectations, I see a glimpse of the life that Christ promises me. I must choose to give up my plans…my script for how I think life should treat me, my thought about the rules of this world and surrender these rights, plans and expectations to the God who is living His life in me.
It is not an easy task by any means but it is made easier by making the daily walking of The Path a part of my life…it’s a way of daily Christian living. And so, I stop making false promises to God…ones that I have no ability to keep in my own strength and I merely ask for His aid. I move forward into the day cloaked in the reminder that surrender is a progressive thing…that I surrender that which God has revealed to me today and look forward to repeating that process again tomorrow.
Filed under: Uncategorized
