Surrender Season Series: Pt 2 Building Surrender Muscles

Nicole Joseph-Chin

Have we ever thought of how a pathway to surrender might look in the face of our humanness and our capacity to give up our will?

This is worth some thought and more importantly, it deserves a plan and a strategy for staying true to surrender.
Our surrender journeys are our own, but in reality, they are for a greater good and we have to acknowledge our many facets as we embark on this journey.

As with any new adventure, surrender feels impossible at the start and in our minds, we sometimes conjure images of never being able to overcome, attain our goals or feel that sense of peace that surrender eventually brings.

Let us liken our surrender journeys to strength training and to the many ways we might find ourselves exhausted, overwhelmed and in some instances concerned about the unknown that is associated with giving up our will.

In Isaiah 43:2, we are reminded that sometimes even the most perilous terrain can become the place where we feel most secure, trusting that we will arrive at a place of comfort, joy, belonging, and more importantly peace.

Yes, strength training allows us to build our endurance and muscles, and so do our first, second and third attempts at surrender, until we master it and begin to feel accomplished in the process.

Thinking about surrender as training and exercise, brings us into a place of truly enduring and expanding ourselves at every stage of our experience – feeling determined to continue and even more eager to share the benefits, the experience and the outcomes.

Strengthening our surrender muscles is a valuable form of conditioning for our personal, spiritual and emotional growth, as it helps us to stay grounded on our paths and in our faith.

Some surrender exercises that allow us to build our surrender muscles include:

Trusting – when we trust, we give up some of our control and allow God’s care, blessings and love to overcome us. Then we begin to understand favour of joy. Trusting is sometimes one of our biggest challenges as humans, and the more we see proof in our lives, the more we are able to trust in the Lord, in His will and in His mercies and promises.
Can we trust in His will?

Waiting – when we wait, we are able to delay gratification, understand the value of each lesson and in turn, count our blessings. God sometimes makes us wait, until the best is ready for us.
Can we wait on the Lord?

Hoping – as we hope and we allow God to fill us with His wonders of peace, joy, freedom and favour, we begin to expand into an immeasurable feeling of love. Love that we once thought of as a mystery.
Can we stay hopeful in the Lord?

Listening – when we take time to sharpen our listening, we begin to know when we are hearing God’s voice and in turn, we strengthen our faith and reduce our fears. Can we listen for the Lord’s voice?

Are you Ready To Surrender?

Nicole Joseph-Chin is the author of Ready To Surrender – “A pocket book of peace, power and purpose”