Surrendering can be gratifying.  Most people think of the word ‘surrender’ in terms of a battlefield where differences are resolved with one side victorious while the other side is defeated.  Contrast that with the notion of both sides winning through positive synergy.  When everyone wins, a compromise has been reached and the term surrender takes on a whole different meaning.  It becomes an act of humility as opposed to one of defeat.  Surrendering in this way involves walking the higher road and having compassion for all, including yourself.

The opposite of surrender is control.  What do we try to control in our life?  What can we control?  While some things can be more easily influenced than others, some are entirely out of our control.  This is the case with certain unknowns in life and uncompromising people or situations.  As hard as we try to evoke specific outcomes, our efforts may seem futile for the time and energy we invest.  In these situations, surrendering may be the best option while yielding to the natural flow of life.

Compassion and humility are your friends as you surrender to life’s flow.  Compassion for yourself and others can be found in virtues as discussed in my previous posts.  Humility can be achieved by letting go and allowing things or others to evolve in their own natural way.  What do you think will happen?  Will everything fall apart?  Many perceive the worst but this is seldom the case.  Life has its own natural rhythm and pace for everything and everyone.

Relinquishing control can be quite freeing although it may seem contrary at first.  To make it easier for yourself, adopt a lesson from Mother Nature and the cycles of plant life through changing seasons.  Notice the birth of new buds in springtime,  flourishing growth in summer, and gradual decline in autumn through winter.   To everything and everyone, there is a season; a time for emerging growth, a time for action, and a time for rest.  Yielding to the natural flow of life holds great lessons for each of us.  Have faith in this flow and free yourself to experience the emerging goodness, like that of a setting sun which glows ever more brilliant with each passing moment.