Happy Monday!
We’ve certainly had some lovely sunsets lately. It reminds me of the joy, and healing colors offer. I hope you’ve been able to appreciate the spectrum and hues during a recent sunset as part of a relaxing evening. There’s such a peace in knowing the rhythm of life continues, whether or not we make time to surrender to the beauty of nature.
Danielle Orner, a contemporary American writer, speaker, and actress, shared her thoughts on surrender as she battled cancer.
Ms. Orner’s sentiments challenge current thoughts on surrender. In our world, the word has a very negative connotation. An act of surrender is considered akin to giving up and is deemed a display of weakness.
Surrender, however, is a way of honoring our confusion and flaws in knowing ourselves and points the way to more profound thought and healing. Once we consent to the notion of surrender, we can look at the roots and origins of our instabilities. Sometimes that’s a place of understanding emotional disparity or dysregulation, while other times, we’re able to understand our challenges with control or the lack thereof.
Think of a time when you were upset but couldn’t pinpoint the cause. Were you searching for an understanding of an emotion or working on your defense? Did you find it challenging to sit with the feeling, or did you escape the situation by shoving the sensation down and pretending it didn’t exist? When we surrender to understanding the experience, we’re better able to make choices that will hasten our healing process, thereby increasing our overall happiness.
Here’s an example. We hear some news about a friend and have a visceral reaction as though we were intimately involved with the event or circumstances. When we fight for control, anger becomes desperation, and our ability to manage ourselves becomes difficult, at best. However, suppose we surrender to the emotional content we feel, acknowledging its existence. In that case, we can begin to understand why our reaction was so pronounced and start the process of healing new and old wounds.
Dr. Gabor Mate, physician, author, and trauma specialist, once commented:
“Not the world, not what’s outside of us, but what we hold inside traps us. We may not be responsible for the world that created our minds, but we can take responsibility for the mind with which we create our world.”
Scripture speaks of surrender in Matthew 11:28-30:
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Surrender is a state of mind and will. As we look introspectively at our challenges, triggers, and reactions, we learn that many elements from the outside influence us. We have the capacity, however, to enter into the depths of our inner lives to find solace and healing. Ultimately, the journey within is worth the effort we invest.
This week why not permit ourselves a deeper dive into our inner world? It may take some courage but may culminate in more insight into our inner thoughts and enable us to find healing in surrender. And remember, don’t be shy to ask for professional direction from a counselor or clergy because we all need to gain perspective and receive encouragement from time to time.
Have a fantastic week discovering how to live comfortably between effort and surrender!
Be Well & Be Blessed!
Lucinda
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