We
live in a world that glorifies independence and self-sufficiency. Rugged
individualism is the idol of our modern society. As a result we fear old age as
it is seen as a time of weakness and dependency. We live in denial of the
reality that all of us will grow old and all of us will die – sooner or later.
We cling on desperately to live the life of our own making and miss out on the
life of wonder that God wants us to live.
Life
is unpredictable, uncertain and full of surprises. Until we face this reality,
we will be fearful of changes and angry when things don’t go the way we want
them to go. We miss out on the joy of living a life with God – when we can turn
our problems, our weaknesses and suffering into opportunities to experience
God’s power and grace.
To
seek a life with God we need to let go of our tendency to cling to the things
that we think will give us independence and control over our lives. Only then
will we be able to welcome the changes that come our way and turn our struggles
and difficulties into times when we seek God’s grace to let go and to let God
have His perfect way with us.
Our
sinful nature drives us to seek God only when we have problems that we cannot
solve or when we think we need supernatural help for achievements that will
glorify ourselves. Billy Graham reminds us that becoming a Christian means that
God will provide for our needs according to His standard which is higher than
ours. We should not expect Jesus to make us rich or healthy or give us whatever
our hearts desire. We are to exchange our will for His good, acceptable and
perfect will.
God
created us as creatures with a free will so that we can grow in love. We have
the freedom to choose between good and evil as well as between the good and the
best. But our sinful nature keeps us from choosing the best that God wants for
our lives. This is why we need to live a life of surrender. A life of surrender
is not a life of defeat – a resigned acceptance of God’s will for our lives. A
life of surrender is a life of victory – a life of adventure that is seeking
the perfect will of our Heavenly Father by receiving the wonderful gift of the
Holy Spirit so that our minds will be transformed and taken captive to the mind
of Christ.
To
live a life of surrender is a commitment to seek the transformation of our
minds and to be a living sacrifice. We are not thinking creatures that are in
control of our feelings. We are feeling creatures who driven by our unconscious
thoughts. Much of our conflicts with one another arise from our involuntary and
instant reactions when someone press our emotional red buttons. Hence we need
to become more aware of our feelings which are the signals and barometers of
our distorted thinking.
God’s
blessings are so abundant every day that we take them for granted. We
complain about our inconveniences and disappointments instead of giving thanks
for the many small blessings we have each day – the time we have with our
family and friends and the food and homes that we have. We can thank God for
the difficult people that we encounter as they drive us to seek God’s grace. We
can thank God in difficult times as the dark nights of our soul draw us to a
deeper experience of the God’s abiding Presence. We can even give thanks for
cancer when we see cancer not as a death sentence but a messenger to number our
days so that we will gain a heart of wisdom.
But
it is no simple task to live a life of surrender. First of all we need the
grace of God to deliver us from our slavery to our egos so that we will live a
life of repentance. Secondly, we need the Holy Spirit to search our hearts as we
live a life of self-examination and confession. Thirdly, we need to enthrone
Jesus as Lord so that we will live a life of obedience. Finally, we need to
live a life of prayer so that we will abide in Christ and be His Body to a
suffering world.
