Surrender
“There is a saying, “The more we try to control what we cannot control, the more out of control we feel. It is only when we let go of our need for control that we truly gain it.” The reality is that we cannot control all the factors in our life. We have limited control over our health, other people’s behaviors, other people’s emotions, and events in general. Trying to go through life controlling these factors is not only unhealthy but impossible. It is only a matter of time before we realize it is indeed a lost cause, which only makes our anxiety and fear worse. The great challenge for anyone who has suffered from acutely negative experiences in which they were totally helpless is that they often develop a fear of uncertainty. Not knowing means we are not in control. Surrendering to and trusting in God makes many people anxious because of their loss of trust and fear of vulnerability. For many, their greatest moments of peace come when they finally give up, when they finally have that moment of realizing, I can’t do this anymore, it is not working, I can’t keep trying to control everything…” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)
“But as St. Paul reminded us, the Word remains a double-edged sword and we stand under its judgement. There is no escape. And so each one of us is called to personal assessment. If God becomes our all, then we live more simply, ask more questions about accumulating possessions, and are more conscious of the needy. It is not so much a question of surrendering things; that just creates a feeling of emptiness. Rather it is a question of acquiring a spiritual treasure in our hearts that does not leave room for the endless acquisition of earthly goods.” (Fr. Andrew Demotses)
“Human personality presumes freedom, and not everybody wants to be free. It’s simpler and less confusing to glob onto some cause, group or person that would willingly take away God’s gift of freedom to imagine yourself satisfied and fulfilled. Freedom is not desired by everybody. Jesus says something about the subject in His enigmatic word “self.” “He who would save his self must lose it, but he who will lose his self for the gospel’s sake will find it.” [Matthew 16:25]. To search for security in any way other than by surrendering to Christ completely is to end life empty and without hope of life beyond this world. The meaning of Christ’s riddle about saving or losing oneself is that if a person wants to cling to his existence to the point of selfishness, in the end he will lose it; however, if a person is willing to offer his self for Christ, he will ultimately save it.” (Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky)
“At an inward level, Christ refers to surrendering the soul: our rational faculties, emotions, will, and decision-making capacity. “Not as I will, but as You will” (Mt 26:39). Outwardly, psyche may also refer to our physical existence (Lk 12:20). We understand that the Lord does not limit our surrender to the sphere of our religious activity, or to matters of personal taste and preference, or even to obedience to the basic commandments of God. His meaning is clear: if we truly desire to come after Jesus Christ (Mk 8:34), then we are to hand over control of our entire life – inward and outward, without qualification – to His guidance, come what may.” (Dynamis 9/20/2020)
“Surrender is not passive but active. Surrender is opening my hands and heart to be filled by God...This is called surrender of the self…The Lord wants us to joyfully desire His way, His plans, His will.” (Albert S. Rossi)
“It is a surrendering of our fleshly will (our gnomic will) to the will of God, which involves our spiritual will (our noetic will). This comes through kenosis, emptying ourselves of our theories, our carnal thoughts, our opinions, and our sins before God. When we do this, the Holy Spirit shows us who we really are: one made in His image, our true-self, a child of God in all splendor and glory.” (Father David L. Fontes, PsyD)
“The Spirit wants to lead you. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Rom. 8: 14). But you must want to be led by Him. This means surrendering to His sovereignty completely and without reservation. It means putting all doubt and hesitation aside. You have to allow the Holy Spirit to take control of every area of your life and to yield to His promptings…I have learned that He does not seek perfect vessels to channel His grace, but yielding vessels, the ones that are ready to be used for His purposes and in His service. God knows how to use us as His instruments despite our infirmities and imperfections. All He wants from us is humble surrender to the promptings of His Holy Spirit and willingness to be used.” (Father Eusebius Stephanou)
“We can never gain true knowledge of God in our minds. Such divine knowledge is only given to the heart — the heart that has been blessed by God with purity, through tears of repentance and total surrender of one’s will to Him.” (St. John Chrysostom)
“If we conceal our wounds, out of fear or shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others…When we surrender our suffering and brokenness to God, we are on the path to wisdom and might.” (Brennan Manning, Marlena Graves)
“...God comes into our lives when we invite Him with all our being, opening the gates of our heart from the inside. He will not come uninvited... The moment you are willing to give over your whole self to God- surrendering your life, your loved ones, your health, your victories and defeats, He will come to you and help you in ways you never dreamed possible.” (Fr. Vojislav Dosenovich)
"Surrendering is not giving up or giving in, it is giving yourself to Him completely. It is not waving a white flag of defeat. It is accepting His victory. It is an act of will rooted in wisdom. It is an act of communion.” (Sacramental Living Blog)
“Surrender is not passive but active. Surrender is opening my hands and heart to be filled by God...This is called surrender of the self…The Lord wants us to joyfully desire His way, His plans, His will.” (Albert S. Rossi)
“Our contemplation produces within us a response of awe, gratitude and surrender, which leads to deeper contemplation and defines the never-ending cycle of our communion with Him...a person must surrender all things in order to receive Christ.” (Kevin Scherer, Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 13:44-46)
“Every Christian undergoes a lifelong series of surrenders which wean us away from the material-centered life into which we were born and reshape us into persons wholly submitted to Christ our God. Surrender to Him is a commitment that supersedes all other loyalties. This way of life forms an unshakable bond between ourselves and Christ as Master.” (Dynamis 5/6/2014)
“Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament…. There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death: by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationship (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man’s heart desires.” (J.R.R. Tolkien)