How can we make a difference in this world? What can each and every one of us do, starting today, to add light to this world? That is why we came here, right? To add our light to this world. Well, I have a suggestion…..surrender….don’t stop reading….go for it- explore this topic that causes fear in so many of us.

What is it like to live in a state of surrender? How is it so different from the way most people live their lives. And does it mean we give up control….give up our treasured free will? Let’s look at these questions so that we can bring some clarity to the one issue I harp on most….surrender!

First of all let’s define the word surrender. If you look it up in the dictionary you will find a slew of definitions including “cease resistance” ,relinquish control” and “to agree to stop fighting, hiding, resisting“. I have my own definition as it pertains to living a life of surrender and it is this: “Surrender is the acknowledgment of our invulnerability”. We do not believe we are invulnerable, now do we? We know we can be hurt- we learned that at an early age and so we do all we can to exert our control and make the world bend to our demands. Along with control comes our need to defend, that is, the need to justify & protect our positions, beliefs, actions, name and allegiances.  A Course in Miracles tell us that it is our belief in our littleness- our belief that we can be attacked….hurt, wounded, made a victim, that creates the need for us to defend. This is right out of ACIM- Workbook Lesson 26 (emphasis are mine):

“It is surely obvious that if you can be attacked you are not invulnerable. You see attack as a real threat. That is because you believe that you can really attack. And what would have effects through you must also have effects on you. It is this law that will ultimately save you, but you are misusing it now. You must therefore learn how it can be used for your own best interests, rather than against them.

Because your attack thoughts will be projected, you will fear attack. And if you fear attack, you must believe that you are not invulnerable. Attack thoughts therefore make you vulnerable in your own mind, which is where the attack thoughts are. Attack thoughts and invulnerability cannot be accepted together. They contradict each other.

The idea for today introduces the thought that you always attack yourself first. If attack thoughts must entail the belief that you are vulnerable, their effect is to weaken you in your own eyes. Thus they have attacked your perception of yourself. And because you believe in them, you can no longer believe in yourself. A false image of yourself has come to take the place of what you are.”

Take a look at the first highlighted quote: “It is this law that will ultimately save you, but you are misusing it now. You must therefore learn how it can be used for your own best interests, rather than against them.” He is referring to our belief in our littleness- our belief that we can be a victim. Until we change our mind about that and see the truth of who we are, we will continue to play the role of victim…and this world will continue to be a world of fear & pain. How do we give up our belief in littleness and walk in the truth of who we are? By surrendering to our Higher Selves, right? Aligning our will with our true God-self and giving up the ego–that is what he is referring to in the last highlighted point: “A false image of yourself has come to take the place of what you are.”Until you actively surrender, you are living through your false, little, ego based self.

What happens when you begin to live this life of surrender? The prayer of surrender is a heartfelt acknowledgment that we no longer want to live a life out of accord with our God-self. We want to give up fighting against life and live in the flow of life- in accordance with who and what we were created to be. We want to live through our High Selves and therefore we ask for assistance…assistance with every decision we make….and we make thousands upon thousands of decisions every day. So you either are making them from a place of love or a place of fear. When you do a prayer of surrender you begin to make space for your Higher Self to speak to you & direct your actions, your thoughts and your words. You find yourself not acting on impulse- from emotion, but instead your responses come from a place of deep peace and a level of awareness not felt before. You are living life on a higher plane.

Everything changes. You start to notice synchronicities and tons of coincidences. You think of someone and they call you or connect with you in some way. Problems seem to unravel of their own accord and turn into opportunities. People seem more genuine, kind and helpful. When you hit bumps in the road, you have learned to accept that it just means something better is coming along, and so you relinquish it without fear or concern. No more lost sleep worrying about money, job, relationships or any other fear the ego use to toss at you to keep you preoccupied and in a state of distress. Everything that is not serving your highest good is removed or transformed. You start to carry on conversations with your guides and angels. Eureka! You’re living life above the fray- no more drama, no more indecision, no more worry.

Does this mean there is never a challenge or sadness or loss or….well, is it all rainbows and unicorns? No. I wish I could promise you that, but I cannot. But what I can promise you is that changes will occur and all will be for the better- ultimately. And once you really commit yourself to living this life of surrender, trust begins to build- indeed, you really learn trust in a big way- and you will need it. It’s a beautiful thing to know you are safe, protected and invulnerable, but it takes time to let go of the old ways. The ego will fight for you and you will need to be committed to this new way of living. The time it will take you to arrive in this new space is directly proportionate to the level of commitment you have- it can take a day or years….that is up to you. But I highly recommend a strong commitment, as it will be painful if you waiver between living through ego and living in alignment with your HS.

Bottom line: You can have a life of joy. A life that is worry free, stress free and peaceful. When you are in this space life will flow, and when bumps and challenges do show up, you don’t react to them in the same old way, because your walking about 7 feet above the fray- you’re aware of it, but it doesn’t rock you,…..you just keep moving forward. Forgiveness- that is, forgiveness without judgment, comes natural to you. You no longer feel the need to defend….defend against what!? You’re invulnerable! You’re safe! You cannot be attacked, so what is there to defend against! Nothing. You are living life as our Creator intended….a powerful life of love.