It may seem like a misnomer of sorts. An oxymoron, perhaps. Two words that simply won’t go together in one string, like oil and water that just won’t mix. How can surrender bring freedom when it involves either giving up or caving in?
Allow me to share with you my story of how my mind and heart was forever changed by this radical view of surrender.
I recently watched a video of a potter making a vase from clay. It was such a wonderful thing to see how a material so clumpy and dry, quite hard and stubborn to work with I must say, can be turned into an amazing piece of art, both useful and beautiful.
However, it’s interesting to note that throughout the clip, I wished to be like the potter, never the clay. It only goes to show that in my mind, I want to be the one who’s in control, not the one going through all that transformation under the hands of the potter, no matter how amazing the result is.
So, if I want the desire to be the clay to grow in me, I must learn to surrender, but why will I do that?
What is surrender?
According to Wikipedia, surrender is to give up or hand over, typically on compulsion or demand, or to stop resisting an enemy or opponent, or any powerful influence and thereby submitting to their authority.
It only makes sense to see the act of surrender in a negative light, if it means to let go of something we hold so dear in our hearts – our freedom or autonomy. If anything, we feel it’s the only thing we really have in this world, our free will, our ability to choose and make decisions without having to consult anybody or concede to anyone.
This ideology is so important that countless movies and books are written depicting people who fight for it, ready to die in the process, and nations go to war against each other to achieve it.
But how do we attain freedom in surrender?
Let me walk you through the many ways God patiently and persistently chipped at my stubborn heart to teach it to obey and surrender, and gain this much sought-after freedom.
The freedom in surrender
Freedom to be myself
It took many years and seemingly endless humbling experiences before my eyes were opened to the reality that I didn’t truly know who I am apart from who God created me to be. All my life I have been trying to be somebody else, my perspective shaped by the expectations of the world and people around me.
When I learned to surrender to my Creator God, my life took on a significant, out-of-this-world meaning. I am a citizen of a higher kingdom, the daughter of the Creator of the heavens and the earth and He made me fearfully and wonderfully for a divine purpose, which He will fulfill despite myself.
If you think that submission, not merely to a Higher Power, but to the Most Powerful God, the Lord of Lords, King of Kings, is missing out on so much in life, you’re awfully wrong. Putting our lives in His mighty hands is the most freeing thing you can ever do in this life and beyond.
Freedom from people’s expectations
In relation to what I earlier mentioned, surrendering becomes freeing when it is to God you are giving your life to. When your identity is hinged upon who He created you to be, and the plans that He has for you, you no longer live to prove yourself to anybody. You live for an audience of One. God’s will for you and through you is all that matters. Everything you do, you do it all for His purpose and glory.
I know how difficult it is to live, trying to please everybody, being somebody who has struggled (I still do at times) with the fear of men all my life. In my mind, people will love me and keep on doing so only if I do things that will make them happy, whether I like doing them or not, or regardless of these things being right or wrong.
How the shackles have fallen when God taught me that this world is so sin-stricken that everything we do will always be marred by our sinfulness! Being free from other people’s expectations from you and living to please the Lord alone, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is the only way to truly thrive in this world.
Freedom from the patterns of this world
Bigger than what people expect from us, is the world that seeks to mold us into conformity – societal pressures and set norms – work to transform our minds and deeds if we are not intentional in going against the grain.
When we surrender to God and His will for us, He gives us the desire and power to let go of this need to be like the world around us. Even as we make decisions that are set apart, some the world will even frown upon, or deem as foolish, we couldn’t care less because we know we are pleasing the Lord as we obey.
Free to make mistakes
Being a child of God doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes. On the contrary, the enemy has his eye upon us, itching to always cause us to veer away from the path God has laid out for us, hence the potential to stumble and fall is great, and we do so at times.
However, because God will never leave us nor forsake us, and nothing will ever separate us from His love, it follows that there is no mistake, no matter how big, that will cause Him to love us any less. His love is unchanging and perfect, never motivated by our performance, unmerited, undeserved and incomprehensible.
When you are a child of God, you are free from the fear of disappointing God. He loved us and died for us while we were still sinners, and He has paid for the sins we are yet to commit. He has seen our future, even the depravity of our hearts and loves us just the same. We live a life, then, knowing with certainty in our hearts, that nothing and no one can snatch us away from His hands.
Freedom from negative emotions
In my most recent devotion, I was reminded about the life of Joseph, how his own brothers scorned him, tried to kill him, and then sold him to slavery in Egypt. He was falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten. But he forgave, and because of this, he was freed from his negative emotions. His past issues were resolved, and he did not allow them to hinder him from carrying out God’s will through his life.
As the Word says, “The heart is deceitful above all things,” so we know better than to let our emotions get the better of us, or to dictate our actions and decisions. When we surrender to God, we become overcomers of the control our sinful heart has over us. By God’s Spirit, we can break free!
Freedom from my sinful compulsions
In relation to this, God taught me about the depravity of my soul. Without Him, my future looks grim. I will spend my life beyond this one we have in eternal damnation, away from His loving presence. Moreover, I will live my life in this world in the presence and power of sin, unable to do anything to alleviate my hopeless condition.
As I surrender my life to God, He reminds me as often as I need it that I am a victor in Christ! The prison door has been opened and I only need to step out and embrace my new life. I know that this is easier said than done, but as long as I know that God moves towards me and relentlessly pursues my wayward heart, I will remain free from slavery to sin, and it will never have the final word in my life.
I am clothed in Christ’s righteousness, and when God looks at me, He sees Jesus, and it’s the most valuable and truly precious thing I have.
Free to be free – personal story
Today, as I think about my life, I know that I have all the reasons to feel restricted or trapped, not at all free, at least as the world defines it. I’m a stay-at-home mom, I home-school my children, I am yet to drive, I am unemployed, and every littlest decision I make goes through the God-appointed authorities over me.
It may not be an ideal situation from an independent perspective, but because I am surrendered to my Heavenly Father, who said, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,”1 I wouldn’t dare change a thing, lest I will be working against His will and purpose for me.
Yes, I do question Him at times, and my situation sometimes drives me to tears and I pray to God to change my circumstance, but He does even better – He changes me. He strengthens my resolve. He takes me to a deeper level of faith in Him and His promises.
Freedom for me changed drastically when I surrendered my life to my Creator and Lord, Jesus Christ, who alone holds my future and has ordained every day of my existence. I may not have control over a lot of things and sometimes it’s scary and crippling, but as long as the God who created me secures my eternity, everything I go through in this world will work together to fulfil His very purpose.
In my surrender, I am free to be free.
Wrapping up
Some of the things I shared in this post may not make a whole lot of sense to others, but I write about it from a place of humility. I battled so much with a fear-driven controlling spirit in my spiritual walk and God has delivered me (and He still does), one sin at a time, and I realised now it’s because He wants to set me free, and that freedom comes with a cost – that of a surrendered heart.
If you think having control over your life circumstances, emotions, your future, finances, career, amongst others, helps you feel secure, let me tell you then that nothing in this world will ever consistently and fully satisfy. Only Jesus can.
Surrendering my life to Him is the best decision I have ever made in my entire life. Make it yours, too.
***If you have questions on how to put your hope in Jesus Christ, please don’t hesitate to send us a private message.
1 Jeremiah 29:11
The Fit Stewards 