Surrender

*SURRENDER - also see CONSCIOUSNESS, DARK NIGHT, CONTENT

The 5 stages of mystic conscioussness are: 1. awakening or conversion, 2. self-knowledge or purgation, 3. illumination (or enlightenment, presence, transcendence, reality) 4. surrender (or dark night), 5. union (Mysticism by Underhill, p203)

If they ask what Love is, say, the sacrifice of the will. Surrender is everywhere because it is the nature of the highest reality and of all manifest reality through which it expresses itself. This essense is not immediately apparent to us because of the ways in which this consciousness conceals its true nature. Surrender is having nothing and wanting nothing; not keeping score, not trying to be richer, not being afraid of losing; not being particularly interested in our own personalities; choosing to be happy, no matter what happens to us. (Stillness, p223,226)

Touching nirvana is a total and unconditional surrender to God. If the wave knows that its ground of being is water, it overcomes all fear and sorrows. (Buddha, Christ, p188)

Surrender ourselves to the living God, to place ourseleves completely in his hands, knowing that ultimately he will win out! It's in the act of abandonment that we experience redemption, that we find peace in the midst of suffering. We must let the mystery of Jesus' suffering become part of our own life before we can become effective instruments of the Lord for others. If we are to love as Jesus loved, we must first come to terms with suffering. (Gift of Peace, p48-9)

As in the "Lord's Prayer", we need to surrender to God's will daily, so that when we are on our death bed we will put "into your hands I give my spirit."

To be drawn into that relationship is to surrender to the Father, to receive the Spirit, and to know Jesus. It is giving yourseeelf away completely, and receiving back infinitely more than the little that you gave away. That is why surrendering to God does not destroy individuality but actually creates it and empowers it. (ThemesNT, p91)

Love also impels contemplatives to detachment from all things, since this kind of inner freedom is a prerequisite for union with God. For the sake of love they forget at last even themselves and, becoming totally self-surrendered, they become one with God. Let God within them be God; God is God in them. All the things of this world then become relative to God. They have their existence in him, and outside of him they have no being. Everything is now experienced in a new way as a manifestation of God's love. (Contemplation, p17)

Take time, be attuned to the now, be immensed in the moment, be still, let go. It's a paradox that slowing down is not really a waste of time. We're addicted to needing approval, but to be free we need to be countercultural. (at SRC in '96 by Sr. that teachs religion at Bishop Grimes)

Voluntary emptying of himself, taking the form of a slave. (Phil 2:7)

Thy will be done on eath as in heaven (Matt ).

Not my will, but Thy will be done (Matt ).

In our pride to want to be like God rather than being content that we were created in His image and likeness (therefore gods). We want to control our lives in order to do those selfish desires rather than being dependent upon God since that demands unselfishness which is hard and involves suffering. We don't want to "let God be God ( )", thereby allowing ourselves to be healed and saved. Also we don't like surrendering to a mystery, and I should decrease my reading for myself and increase my doing for others. (Randy)

True happiness comes from surrendering yourself to Jesus, by opening your hearts to His words. (IAM, p112)

let yourself let go.

For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. (Mark 8:35)

One had to begin with a heartbreaking perception of inadequacy. Mere cerebral contemplation is not enough: it had to be accompanied by self-analysis, study of Torah and prayer. It was painful to give up our intellectual and imaginative prejudices about the world, and most people were deeply reluctant to give up their point of view. Once they had gone beyond this egotism, you would realize that there was no reality but God. (Hist, p339)

Accepting the fact that we are creatures and not Gods. Theme of all 12 step programs - let go and let God. Surrender (humbly, simply) is the only way out of the "dark night" and giving up of all attempts to make the light return. (Surrender by Jim Krisher)