There is no religion in the world which does not highlight the need of surrender to God as the first and the foremost commitment. Surrender is the simplest path to rescue, to relax, to live peacefully in life. In Hinduism, in its holy book ‘Bhagavad Gita’, Lord Krishna clearly says, ‘Abandon all your worries and just surrender unto Me’.
In Islam, a person abides by the five main Pillars of Islam; following the faith means surrendering or submitting one’s will to God. This means that Muslims in their daily life should strive for excellence under the measure of God’s will.
The Christian’s idea of surrender is the concept of surrender to God’s Will. Surrendering to God’s will results in both the surrender of our will to His, in His sovereignty over all things, in which His ways of operating and thinking prevails over humanity’s and Satan’s (Devil).
The Sikhs also surrender to God; they believe true happiness is attained by accepting and submitting to the Divine Will.
Surrendering to God means one doesn’t worry about the outcome of his/her efforts and doesn’t lose sleep if things are not going his way. Also, does not feel morose if things don’t fall into place according to one’s plan. After surrendering to God’s will one simply accepts life as it unfolds, without complaints, discontent, or resistance. God is Universe. To surrender to the universe means pushing yourself through your fears, worries and self-doubts. It means letting go of what you have studied and opening the door to new possibilities. Possibilities that are planned by the universe specifically for you.
Each one of us has a life purpose which is the central motivating aims of our life; the reasons we get up in the morning, the aim we strive to achieve. Purpose guides life’s decisions, it influences our behaviour, shapes goals, offer a sense of direction, and creates meaning. For each person the purpose is different. For some, purpose is connected to vocation, for some purpose is connected to serving society and for some it is cheating the society.
Surrendering helps us let go of expectancies so that when things don’t go as planned or expected, there is no disappointment; instead, there is hope in knowing that everything happens for a reason and has its own timing. Each event takes place at certain time and for a purpose. A calm state of mind means that you do not become angry or upset, especially in difficult situations. This state in Sanskrit is called ‘Sthitapragya’ which means a person of steady wisdom, the one who has experienced the truth from within, one who is contended.
We fear surrender because we consider it to be somewhat meek state, submitting our power, giving up a sense of self-direction, losing the ability to choose, being enslaved etc, etc.
Surrender goes deeper than that. It is not merely a position that we take during praise and worship; it’s a posture of the heart. To be in complete surrender before God requires our utmost intensity. That everything we are, and we aren’t, every good and every bad or terrible part of us, every inch of our being put down before Him. While doing this, we become vulnerable.
Surrendering to God will deepen our relationship with Him beyond words, but it requires action from within us. It is giving what we are to Him, all the good, the bad, and the ugly. To have strong faith and knowing He will only bring about the best for us. That we are safe in His hands; we are surrounded by His energy, He is with us every inch, every angle.
The action of surrender is life changing. We will never experience more emotional, or spiritual intimacy with our Creator after we surrender ourselves, fully and completely, with our heart and soul to Him.