Surrender

I have been contemplating surrender lately; surrender and freewill.

The power of the world around us can feel overwhelming. It can feel like we are powerless, that life happens to us in ways against our own wills. That powerlessness frightens me.

The story of Jesus is poignant when it comes to our questions of power and surrender.

I think we expect that if we live rightly, we will prosper… and I do think that can be true when living in prosperous times. I do think righteous living will provide the best lives in the long run. But I think we expect we’ll be wealthy and safe, and loved by every good person, and we will be healthy, and God will keep sickness and weakness away from our children. But God does not. Of course our will is to be healthy, safe, happy, wealthy… but life assails with the darkness as much as it avails with the light.

Jesus is taught to us as the perfect man… Jesus is the ideal. He is the Son of God, the Beloved. He lives righteously every moment. How then was he stationed in the manner of wealth? Was he lauded while he lived as King of the World?

Jesus lived his life exactly as he was meant to live it…

And he was homeless.

Jesus lived his life exactly as he was meant to live it…

And he had enemies,

And he argued,

And he got angry,

and his father died,

and jesus was hated,

and he was betrayed by friends,

and he was murdered,

and his friends were murdered…

He suffered “for the world,” for sins that were not his.

So must we all suffer for the sake of the world, for sins that are not ours, because we all face the consequences of others’ choices.

What can we do?

We do not all want the world poisoned, yet some poison it… and we are all poisoned.

We do not all want war, yet some wage war… and all of us must mourn.

Not all want injustice, yet some are liars… and many innocent stand accused.

What can we do? But surrender.

We must accept, because the world and God’s will is beyond our power. We must live toward righteousness to our greatest strength – and accept the consequences for living in this world of infinite choice, wherein we are affected not only by our own choices but by the choices of others also. We are affected by all choices, made by all people, in all times… so that, like Jesus, we suffer for the sins of all the world, though we are innocent.

Jesus, in the absolute strength of his manhood, was cut down.

Jesus did not wish nor will that his life would so end. Even he trembled in the face of death, terrified in his agony. Yet he surrendered!

“Let not my will, but thy will be done, Oh LORD!”… And he commended his spirit to the Father of all Spirit.

The penultimate act of Jesus was his total surrender to the Father… Then he died.

How then do we surrender in each moment? Will it make us rich, or healthy of body always? Will it give us perfect friendship, perfect children, perfect spouses? Not as we deem perfect, but as God deems perfect.

It may be that gratitude is the ultimate surrender.

Thank you, God, for breath. Thank you, God, for water. Thank you, God, that I ever lived, that I ever saw, that I ever tasted. Thank you, God, that I loved enough to grieve. Thank you, God, that I ever had a friend. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I have loved it! I love it now!

Life is so hard. Even the Son of God lived to be broken and to die… but he loved! And he was grateful to have lived. His was the best life, and yet was so painful.

Surrender. Be grateful. And love it!