Written by Liliana Henríquez, volunteer for Iron Rose Sisters Ministries in Colombia
One of the most challenging tasks for a human being is to let go of egocentrism and adopt a position of total surrender to God. We mistakenly believe we are all-powerful, but the truth is that nothing moves without God’s will.
When we look at the life of Jesus, we see that He was obedient in everything, even though, humanly speaking, He faced the unimaginable pain of crucifixion. Who would willingly offer himself to endure such intense physical suffering as dying on a cross? Jesus did! And because of this, you and I don’t have to pay for our sins—we have eternal life. In the pivotal moment of His death, Jesus fully surrendered to God and His will, saying, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Lk 23:46, NIV).
In our daily lives, we must “crucify ourselves” repeatedly, or in other words, set aside our own desires and make sacrifices for a higher good.
We set aside our desires to prioritize those of our partner...
We set aside our rest to choose to play with our children...
We set aside our comfort to serve others with love...
We set aside what we want and focus on fulfilling God’s calling for our lives.
In the spiritual realm, things operate under the principle of total surrender to God. Those of us who have accepted Christ as Lord understand that we no longer live to satisfy our own desires, but to fulfill Christ’s (Gal 2:20). We know that those who want to be exalted must humble themselves. Those who want to be served must serve. Those who want to be loved must love. Those who want to receive must give.
This doesn’t mean we always agree with God’s plans. Often, we don’t. In fact, many times, we feel upset because we don’t understand why He asks us to do things that seem “illogical” or outside our comfort zone. However, a true servant of God surrenders because she knows WHOM she is serving and follows the example of Jesus on the cross saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Lk 22:42).
A true servant does her part with a surrendered heart and in complete obedience to God—and lets God be God. We don’t need to understand everything God does, but we do need to do everything He calls us to because that’s the commitment we made when we decided to be His disciples.
Is your life fully surrendered to the will of God?
