Life Lesson VIII - Surrender Does Not Mean Defeat

At a certain point, when you have been struggling to breathe, you finally begin to let go and give up. It is as though the struggle is no longer worth the energy. Rest and peace invite you to lay down with them. In that moment there is peace – as though a great battle has ended. You have done all that you can do and there is nothing left to give. There, at the end of yourself, is the stillness and the serenity that you have struggled to find.

As long as we insist on living our lives on our own terms and in our own strength, the struggle will continue. Grasping at illusions and distractions will only cause greater disappointment. The more we get becomes the more we want. Planning this and controlling that grows quickly exhausting. To surrender to a greater and kinder power is not to be conquered. To bow before the One Who is Love cannot be seen as defeat.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

“Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.” - Chief Joseph

“The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.” - Sun-Tzu, The Art of War

Life Lesson VIII – Surrender does not mean defeat.