Last week in my small group study called“Surrendering to Christ Together” we learned about two kinds of surrender to the Father’s will. They were:
- Passive surrender: which is the acceptance of what is – an illness, a job loss, a crisis with our children. We acknowledge painful emotions (sorrow, anger). We also let God take us through those emotions to a place where our mind and emotions will line up to accept the painful situation. We don’t “give up” in the sense of despairing, ceasing to look for solutions or ceasing to pray. Rather, we come to a place where we trust God to meet our deepest needs, whatever happens.
- Active surrender: which is the decision to take action in accord with what we believe God wants us to do, despite risks and costs. It often involves moving from a situation that feels relatively safe to one full of unknowns. It can be harder than passive surrender because we genuinely have the option of avoiding the tough situation. (It’s easier to accept what we can’t avoid than to accept what we can avoid.)
We were asked to think of ways that God is calling us to passive surrender and active surrender. For me, in regards to passive surrender, I have had to let go of some issues and accept them for what they are. In some ways, I had”given up” in these issues and I know that was wrong. I need to accept these issues BUT not cease being involved in looking for solutions. In regards to active surrender, God has been calling me to “step out of the boat” with Him in regards to my involvement in my community. This is a great unknown to me as I have allowed myself to be completely consumed with church life. With this, God is also calling me to take some risks with Him. This is scary and exciting at the same time!