The Spirit of Surrender

By Juliana Bordin

Brasília, Brazil

How do you feel when you want something very much, but someone is opposed to it? Or, when you're faced with situations where things can't be your way? Among the meanings of the word “surrender” are:

•       submission to someone or something
•       the act of stopping to resist an enemy and accepting having been defeated (Michaelis Dictionary)

Despite many questions regarding the date of Jesus' birth; on December 25, His birth is celebrated. The story of His birth is marked by great examples of surrender: Mary and Joseph (Jesus' parents) and Zechariah. Mary and Joseph surrendered by completely submitting to God’s will as proclaimed by the angel Gabriel. On the other hand, Zechariah surrendered to fear. What were the consequences? Let's start with Mary and Joseph:

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:38

What can we learn from Mary's response?

Mary was a humble girl from a farming family and engaged to Joseph. She probably had dreams and plans about her future life with her husband. In Luke 1:29, the Bible tells us that she was disturbed at the angel's announcement. The angel's message was certainly hard to believe. Mary responded sincerely and did not fail to express her doubts to the angel. As a result, the angel assured her of the biblical truth about the power of God: "For nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).

Faced with the angel’s response, Mary makes her decision. She completely surrenders to God's will. At that moment, she renounces all her plans and decides to trust God. She had no idea what that decision would mean for her future. What would her pregnancy be like? Would she still be able to marry Joseph? And what about her mission as the mother of Jesus? However, knowing that this was God's plan for her life was enough for her to surrender completely.

What can we learn from Joseph's response? 

The angel who appeared to Joseph also brought a message from God, calling him to go through with the marriage even though Mary was pregnant. What was Joseph’s response?  In Matthew 1: 24, it says: “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” He knew that many would think the worst of him. He would lose his honor at a time in history when honor was highly valued by men. Even though he understood that it would totally change his plans and that his reputation was threatened, he chose to follow God's plan.

What can we learn from Zechariah? 

Similarly, an angel also had appeared to Zechariah to announce the coming of a son. In Luke 1:12, it says: “When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.” After hearing God’s plan, Zechariah questioned the angel. Faced with a seemingly impossible situation, Zechariah feared and doubted that God would do the impossible.

The faithful response to the impossible 

By analyzing the posture of each of these biblical characters in the face of the improbable, we see that the faith of each one was tested, yet ultimately there was a complete surrender to God's will. Only then, when we surrender completely, is the glory completely given to our God and not to us. As Jesus said in Luke 18:27: “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Mary proceeded in obedience, even though she did not understand fully. She accepted doing God's will even without knowing what it would mean for her future.  Joseph overcame the initial resistance and trusted in God's love by being willing to be rejected by everyone in order to accept his mission. Zechariah may have been fearful, but through nearly 10 months of not being able to speak, he learned to observe God's work and accompany his elderly wife's pregnancy. His story shows that even when we fear, God will bring an opportunity for repentance.

These reflections made me think about a recent time in my life when I had the opportunity to deepen my faith and learn more about God's plans. In 2018, I applied for an unpaid leave from my job in public office so that I could be more dedicated to my health and my family. After some conversations with my husband, we planned the family budget and he supported me. The government granted me a period much shorter than what I had planned, and I knew that at the end of that time I would have to decide about my professional future.

I started looking for alternatives and faced fears unknown until then. I revisited an old dream of studying psychology and helping people with mental illness. Making this decision was far from easy. Can you imagine starting a new degree at this point in life? A new professional career after 45 years of age? It took me almost two years to complete this process.

Going back to the dictionary definition of surrender, I confess that I felt defeated when I didn't get the license I wanted. At this point, a year after having made the decision to move on to a new career, I can better understand God's plans. I understood that it was not just a professional decision; it was a decision to surrender or not to God's plans. It was clear that surrendering would mean having to give up control. When calculating all the possible scenarios in view of my choice, I realized that it would be impossible to have absolute certainty and guarantees.

The pandemic itself began during this period, revealing how powerless I was in the face of so many situations. I had the support of my husband and so many brothers and sisters who advised me to trust and continue prioritizing my family and my professional dream. I chose to trust and listen to the voice of the Spirit guiding me. I also understood that being surrendered does not mean that we will not have fears or doubts and sometimes we need time to surrender. 

God respected my time and didn't stop being by my side before I was ready to take my step of faith. God awaits our step of faith and in this way reveals Himself powerfully to us. The more difficult the decision, the greater the potential for God to be glorified. 

In this year in which I have lived out this choice, I continue to have challenges in front of my missions, such as motherhood, for example. What I ask of Him is that I seek daily to give all honor and glory to His name as long as I live. Let this be my will. When the impossible is before me, may I have the surrender of Mary and Joseph. And if I remain in doubt, may God’s love lead me to see His power, just as it did with Zechariah. May my life be a testimony of God's great love for us. Consider the greatest surrender of all on this earth:

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Luke 22:42

When we renounce things being our way, we discover the adventure of knowing God's way for our lives. We experience the joy of knowing His perfect plans. My decision to continue doing God's will provides incredible learning opportunities.

Discerning God's will is not always easy. Therefore, we need the Holy Spirit who lives in us. There may even be clear signs of what we should do, but God's standard in the Bible is by faith and not by what we see. As Hebrews 11:1 explains: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

May we daily choose the complete surrender of our life to the One who made us free and did everything for us.

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

Luke 9:23-24

Reflection questions:

1.      In what area of your life do you not let things go your way?
2.      What step of faith do you need to take so that God makes you an instrument of His will as He did Mary?
3.      How much are you willing to lose your life and renounce "my way" to accomplish what God has planned for each day of your life?