Surrender:

Introduction Surrender: a. To give (oneself) up into the power of another, especially as a prisoner b. To give (oneself) over to something (such as an influence) —Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary Can I be honest? There’s just something about the word surrender I have never liked. I know, it’s not what the author of a book about surrender should be writing in the introduction, but I’ll bet you can identify. The word just flies in the face of all that our society venerates and holds dear. We don’t surrender. We don’t give up. We fight to the death, right? Those are the things we take most pride in, aren’t they? The things we have fought hardest for. I love stories of perseverance, overcoming, and winning. Those stories call deeply to what I might be capable of if I try hard enough, apply myself, or dig deeper. Dogged, relentless determination and an unwillingness to quit is the stuff of success. Every movie, play, and good story has this theme embedded in it. Surrender? Well, the idea has always seemed a little, well, lame (to quote my kids). Don’t get me wrong, I grew up singing “I Surrender All” at church. It’s not as though the term is foreign to me. But in life, sometimes you learn that a thing isn’t what you’ve thought it was. Sometimes the very thing you’ve been avoiding all along is what you most need. Every now and then, you have a moment when you really hear what you’ve been hearing all your life, that moment when you actually begin to understand what isn’t exactly new to you. It’s when you truly see what has always been right there. Those moments are a gift. They are life changing. The truth is that God has very unlikely ways of getting us to the places he wants us to be. And it doesn’t matter how you feel about the term, if you’re going to get to your God-ordained purpose, surrender is the way. Surrender is an education. Surrender is learning. Surrender is unlearning. Surrender is a process. Surrender is a place you get to and a place you continually return to. Surrender is a way of life. I’ve walked it; I’m walking it. And here’s what I’ve found: On the other side of surrender is another world and another path. It’s the path God intends for your life and your good. It’s the path that leads to a beautiful place. It leads to another you. I’m telling you what I know. Maybe I never liked the word because I thought of surrender as a destination of defeat. Well, that couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s actually a door, a portal, a threshold of sorts. There is something incredible just through the door of surrender, just across the threshold. You can’t imagine it, you have to experience it. It turns out surrender isn’t such a lame word after all. Who knew? Surrender may seem weak, but I assure you, it’s anything but. To surrender what you think you know will take everything you have and some of what God has. For sometimes you learn that a thing isn’t what you thought it was. Sometimes the very thing you’ve been avoiding all along is what you most need. So is this book for you? I believe you’re reading this book for a reason—a God-ordained reason. I can tell you this: If you’ve been wrestling with the same issue for years, this book is for you. If God has called you to something you have yet to fully embrace, or worse, you’re flat-out resisting him, this book is for you. If you’ve encountered some physical, emotional, or relational trauma that you can’t seem to move past, no matter how hard you try, this book is for you. It’s for you because your purpose is waiting. Your real purpose is actually God’s purpose for you. And that purpose is both revealed and achieved through surrender. Surrender is the unlikely path to purpose. The fact is that great strength lies in surrender. It sounds paradoxical and hard to believe, but it’s true. Only in surrender can you experience the power to overcome. God has a specific design and purpose for you. He knows the plans he has for you. You’re either going to give him your life’s wheel and allow Him to drive or you’re not, but there can only be one driver. When we allow God to drive (the process of surrender), we find joy, strength, purpose, and fulfillment. When we don’t, there is only constant striving and the realization that without Him, we are weak, frail creatures who are desperately wicked and in need of a Savior. I can say all this with certainty because, despite me, this book was born from the pain of my experiences and God’s gentle grace toward me. The content of this book was God’s message to me during a season of darkness and chaos. There has since remained a consistent word to me in times of storms and rain, lies and schemes, uncertainties and disappointments. No amount of resistance ever changed it. The word he continued to speak into my spirit was this: “surrender, girl!” The decision to obey him completely changed my life. There is no shortcut to becoming the you that God has always intended. It’s called transformation, and it’s the awesome work of God to fulfill his purpose through each of us. So I humbly invite you to take this journey. I ask you to engage as you read this book. I ask you to commit to the process and expect God to do something new within you. I believe nothing in all creation is stronger than a relentless God pursuing his child. And nothing in the mind of man is more powerful than the decision to surrender to him. Where Are We Headed? This book is divided into three parts: the problem, the path, and the purpose. The order is intentional. Each chapter is chronological. Each part lays a foundation that builds on the previous one. Additionally, the practical work suggested at the end of each chapter provides the framework and tools you will use in the chapters and the parts that follow. So my recommendation is that you do not skip ahead. I have laid the book out in a way that takes the reader on a journey. To help facilitate this, I have provided the following at the end of each chapter: ● A brief main idea that encapsulates all that you have read ● One or more questions to assist you in meditating on how to apply this to your journey ● Specific, actionable steps to take so that this truth can shape your life ● Space to reflect on what you’ve learned and room to put your thoughts about what God is revealing My intent is that you will not simply digest information but also engage in the experience of transformation. Oh, and another thing, I want to hear from you! Please feel free to share with me as you go through your journey. I’m invested in your transformation, and I’m rooting for you while walking right along with you. Let’s do this!