The more I intentionally walk out surrender in this Christian life, the more I realize that surrender isn’t really about giving things up. It’s how I’ve thought about the topic in the past – to lay down and abandon whatever it is I’m surrendering at the feet of Jesus. The dreams, the hopes, the desires, and especially the actions and thought patterns.
But surrender in a battle isn’t about just laying down your guns or giving up land. It’s about accepting a new ruler, a new reality, a new way of living life. Similarly, in our own lives, surrender isn’t entirely about emptying ourselves and then living with nothing. Surrender is laying down the things that hinder us (Hebrews 12:1) so that we have the capacity to be clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:27). We’re giving up our control for His control.
When we don’t realize (or forget) that our giving up is so that we can pick up (figuratively) Christ, we miss out on the abundant live that God offers us (John 10:10). We also miss the entire point of surrender. Generals aren’t fighting until their enemy surrenders so that they can gain nothing. God isn’t fighting us (Romans 5:10), but His goal isn’t a narcissistic reality where we give and give and give and give until we’re left with nothing. He gives us life and that abundantly (John 10:10), not to mention the Holy Spirit with its fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Surrender isn’t unto emptiness – as much as it can feel empty at the time we lay it down. It’s filled with all of the goodness of God – the joy, the peace, the faithfulness, and so on. Jesus said it well: “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” (John 10:18). In a similar way, we sacrifice ourselves and our will so that we can pick up God’s identity and His will – which ultimately is a much better and happier way to live.
One more quick thought – while we surrender and lay ourselves down in order to have the capacity to pick up what God is and what He has given us, it isn’t a kind of business contract. We can’t say, “I laid down my will, God; now You need to do such-and-such for me.” We do give it all up for Him, but we’re also laying it down to pick up His will for us and those we love.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)
