"The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next."
- Mignon McLaughlin
Surrender is often thought of as a moment of change, where, once one surrenders, somehow, everything will be different - the skies will part, one's life will become instantly blissful, and God will finally reveal Him/Herself.
But, that is not exactly the reality of the situation. There is, on some cosmic level, I believe, a shift, but, for the most part, surrender is not something that happens in a moment. In happens in every moment, and particularly every moment must be a surrendering.
When one surrenders, it is not that everything changes. It is that one is actually surrendering to everything staying EXACTLY the same. You are surrendering to the will of God, as it is, Right Now, In This Moment! You are surrendering to the fact that this is God's design, and it may change, or it may Never change. That whatever is happening right now, IS God's will, and you accept and surrender into that fully.
Obviously, this is NOT what most people are hoping for. Most, I would guess, expect some kind of miracle, and perhaps, some get that - a sudden exhiliration, a dropping of worry and stress, like a breath of fresh air, and this is not totally uncommon. But often, it is exactly the opposite, where everything stays the same, and you realize, "This is IT". I am surrendering to what is happening right now. It may seem horrible, or painful, or boring, or whatever, but THAT is God's will in the moment. One cannot change the will of God. One can only accept it or reject it. Rejecting it, is essentially resisting it. So when you stop resisting it, rejecting it, and willingly and openly accept it, without conditions, THAT is surrender. "My life is Yours, Lord, and I accept that fully. Whatever You wish to do with me is perfect and divine."
Or as Lord Chaitanya stated in His Sikshastakam: "I know no one but Krsna as my Lord and He will remain so, even if He handles me roughly by His embrace, or makes me broken-hearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, because He is always my Lord, unconditionally."
We are so conditioned by our radical entitlement, particularly these days, that we expect everyone and everything, including God, should bend to OUR will, when the reality is we MUST bend to His will, whether we recognize it or not. Surrendering, in large part, is simply a recognition of what is already true - we are already experiencing the will of God. Do we lovingly embrace it, or do we continue to resist it?
But, that is not exactly the reality of the situation. There is, on some cosmic level, I believe, a shift, but, for the most part, surrender is not something that happens in a moment. In happens in every moment, and particularly every moment must be a surrendering.
When one surrenders, it is not that everything changes. It is that one is actually surrendering to everything staying EXACTLY the same. You are surrendering to the will of God, as it is, Right Now, In This Moment! You are surrendering to the fact that this is God's design, and it may change, or it may Never change. That whatever is happening right now, IS God's will, and you accept and surrender into that fully.
Obviously, this is NOT what most people are hoping for. Most, I would guess, expect some kind of miracle, and perhaps, some get that - a sudden exhiliration, a dropping of worry and stress, like a breath of fresh air, and this is not totally uncommon. But often, it is exactly the opposite, where everything stays the same, and you realize, "This is IT". I am surrendering to what is happening right now. It may seem horrible, or painful, or boring, or whatever, but THAT is God's will in the moment. One cannot change the will of God. One can only accept it or reject it. Rejecting it, is essentially resisting it. So when you stop resisting it, rejecting it, and willingly and openly accept it, without conditions, THAT is surrender. "My life is Yours, Lord, and I accept that fully. Whatever You wish to do with me is perfect and divine."
Or as Lord Chaitanya stated in His Sikshastakam: "I know no one but Krsna as my Lord and He will remain so, even if He handles me roughly by His embrace, or makes me broken-hearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, because He is always my Lord, unconditionally."
We are so conditioned by our radical entitlement, particularly these days, that we expect everyone and everything, including God, should bend to OUR will, when the reality is we MUST bend to His will, whether we recognize it or not. Surrendering, in large part, is simply a recognition of what is already true - we are already experiencing the will of God. Do we lovingly embrace it, or do we continue to resist it?
Beautiful, thank you for this....
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