“Spiritual Surrender” by Christopher Cuseo
It’s these same themes I keep revisiting in writing and especially in life in general:
- We don’t really have control; it’s always been an illusion
- Acceptance is the only way out of darkness
- There’s no such thing as coincidence
When we know this at our core, life gets easier. Clarity comes into focus. You start realizing every prior moment in your life was orchestrated in such a way to bring you to this one. What will you do with it? What will you do now?
Most people hit a point in life where they start asking the big questions:
- Why am I here?
- What is it that will make me truly happy?
- Is this all there is?
- Will I get the rough relationships smoothed out?
- Will I obtain the desired relationship I don’t yet have?
- Will I accomplish my goals professionally?
- Will I have time to make my dreams come true?
- Will I accomplish these things before my time runs out?
- Externally, do I present myself to others the way I view myself?
More than ever, we now live in a world of disconnect. We find out about new babies, weddings, funerals, and news of the world and news of those we love by way of social media. We respond in equal measure with our affirmations of LIKE or by hammering a few words out as a reply. If we don’t respond, we can always feign ignorance. We can pretend we didn’t see something we don’t want to know or deal with. No one else is the wiser.
We disconnect from others, but more so, we like to disconnect from the discomfort of having to answer hard questions about our life. We become too busy to find the answers.
But are we living true? Are we at peace?
There are two possibilities we receive when attempting to answer questions where the answer isn’t yet clearly revealed:
Anxiety or Acceptance
Anxiety usually involves stewing, ruminating, playing a situation or conversation over and over in your head. Rewind; play, repeat! Each time it replays, new details emerge and our anger and our fears become embellished. Before long we are living in non-truth. I’m convinced at my core that is where our feelings of unworthy, unlovable, undeserving, unforgiveable, and our inability forgive or move on lie. Yes, where they LIE. We are created to live in peace and be at peace, but sometimes we live as if we are the main characters in M. Scott Peck’s People of the Lie.
Acceptance is freedom! It means giving up control of others or having to know the outcome of things. Acceptance allows good to come into your life because you are open to it. You’ll be free to notice beauty, goodness, love, and truth in the smallest of things in life. You will realize that there are no coincidences, and that even bad moments can be used for good, if you can have proper perspective. Positivity, wisdom, empathy, and love first start with acceptance of the way things actually are.
Easy to say, but how do you transition from anxiety to acceptance?
Oh, if only it were easy. This is life’s great journey. There are thousands of books in the self-help section. There are motivational speakers, there’s church and the Bible and other holy books. There are therapists, psychiatrists, musicians, artists, and friends all who are happy to give you their two cents worth.
How do you usually first respond to challenges?
- Emotionally–You immediately feel angry, hurt, or a strong need to defend your position.
- Logically–You need to explain and rationalize and get to the bottom of why or what now.
Well, maybe the answer is spiritual in nature. Sometimes the big questions do involve our faith—faith in God, faith in ourselves, and above all faith that God is actively involved in our lives and situations. If we are courageous enough to believe that, than our need to control life and find justification in our feelings and responses diminishes.
We can just live aware of each moment. We can take a step back and WAIT. Wait before feeling or speaking or explaining. We can wait for wisdom to show us the right way to respond.
Bono’s right when he sings “I’m not easy on my knees” in Love and Peace or Else. In the next line he sings, “Here’s my heart, you can break it. I need some release, release, release.” Indeed! Sometimes God allows things that crack our hard hearts of stone. Those with tender hearts of glass are even more easily shattered. The next part is up to us. It’s our Moment of Surrender.
I hope you will able to surrender that which is hard, or hurtful, or defies explanation. When we finally can surrender or let go, we are able to find the rhythm of our soul; we can live in peace and live true. I’m convinced once we are able to surrender; we lose our chains. Then we can then let God’s love and light in our life, and then live our life as mirrors by reflecting to others all we’ve been blessed with.
Open your heart to the rhythm of yes. Surrender. You too are loved.
At the moment of surrender
I’m falling to my knees
I did not notice the passersby
And they did not notice me
I’ve been in every black hole
At the altar of a Dark star
My body’s now begging
Though it’s begging to get back
Begging to get back
To my heart
To the rhythm of my soul
To the rhythm of my consciousness
To the rhythm of yes
To be released from control
“Moment of Surrender” – U2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blqa-3q-b38
(Also worth watching: U2 – Moment of Surrender live at Rose Bowl on 4/06/2010)
u2areloved 