By: Key Michel
Human beings have an interesting relationship with the notion of control. Whether it’s controlling your life, controlling your future or controlling outcomes and situations; the curiosity in knowing what happens next, can make surrendering feel almost impossible.
The purpose of surrendering can be easily misconstrued as slightly giving up; or lacking faith in a positive outcome. The truth is that it’s actually the complete opposite.
Surrendering communicates that you have faith that everything will work in your favor, that things will fall into place, that you will get what you desire; and that things will get better. When we let go of the strong attachment to what we want it suddenly starts to make its way towards us.
Surrendering in the past was hard for me. I constantly communicated the need to do it; without putting any practice into play. It wasn’t until I gave surrendering a chance; that I was awakened to how powerful it truly is.
An example of this, interestingly enough also correlates with fashion and thrifting. I was at the thrift store one day, and I was looking through the sweater section when I saw a woman walking in front of me, with a packed cart. She was a bit of distance away, but I still manage to find myself making strong eye contact with a sweater in her cart. All I could see was the neckline of the sweater, I couldn’t see the entire sweater; but I knew I would love it. I gently let the idea go and surrendered the desire for it; it was already in her cart; and I was happy that she found a gem. I began to look at my own cart; and was reminded that I found a really nice sweater myself; so I remained grateful.
After my process of elimination, I walked to the line to pay for my items. As I’m in the line, and I’m up next to be called; I look over to my left; and I see the sweater hanging up right next to me; in front of the bag section. The woman must have decided as she was getting ready to pay, that she didn’t want it anymore. I picked up the sweater with joy; and it looked even better outside of the cart; than it did inside. An epiphany came to mind; that this sweater came to me because I surrendered.
I wasn’t obsessively thinking about the sweater. I expressed gratitude for the sweater I already had; and I let it go. Since I surrendered the desire for the sweater; it came to me.
Take a moment to think about your own life, what do you need to surrender? I encourage you to gracefully and bold surrender; by having faith that you will get what you want; or you will get something 100 times better. Surrender knowing that everything will fall into place; and that everything is working out for your good.
