“In the 2003 movie Bruce Almighty, there is a scene in which Bruce surrenders his all to God while on his knees in the middle of the road and is then immediately struck by a truck. For some, this may not seem like divine intervention or the hand of an omnipotent, loving, all-powerful God. But for him, this became the new beginning, the transition, an act of surrender into oblivion. I have felt that same way upon relinquishing myself in some fashion, only to feel run over by a truck in the next second. What was I thinking?”
Our life is full of challenges and our faith in God is tested during times of crisis. What’s harder than the trial is our internal struggle to surrender our will to God consciousness. While you may have heard the phrase a lot, manifesting this belief is actually tougher than you can imagine. Surrendering your will to higher consciousness can become difficult given the amount of self will and personal distractions of life. This world, its hardships, sorrows, and miseries are what keep you from surrendering your will to a higher consciousness.
Emmet Fox wrote, ‘Power Through Constructive Thinking’ in 1940 that takes a hard path of unconditional surrender to all things that believe in God. This fundamental application works for some but Carl Jung’s sentiments, “The shoe that fits one, pinches another” is equally applicable. Furthermore, Carl Jung, a believer in the community of spirit and God consciousness stated, “Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine, or idealism.”
An exemplary reference about unconditional surrender to God has been penned down by Bruce Barcomb, the author of “The Change Agent- Paradigm Shift in Consciousness.” In the book, Barcomb enlightens the readers on the significance of unconditional surrender. According to him, every individual surrenders their will both knowingly and unknowingly. While some surrender to a higher power, others find comfort in many non-omnipotent powers like food, music, friends, etc. The only difference is that while the latter aspects might bring personal accolades, escape, fulfilment, and material wellbeing, these external things are temporary and none of them will you take into the next realm.
Owning yourself, genuine-self, wholly and congruently, transcending life’s hardships by first accepting them becomes the painful cornerstone, touchstone, that you build a life worth living. Being able to discern your truth, requires the ability to self-reflect on what one has been surrendering self-will over to. Having the discipline to surrender ego over to a higher consciousness requires the ability to take that inward journey and to choose to examine self.
Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.) was a believer of self-examination and self-knowledge. Twenty-Four hundred years later, Socrates is credited with the notable quote: “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Lao Tzu (640 – 531 B.C.E.) stated, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
Starting that journey reflects the ongoing ideological theme of Bruce Barcomb’s book: “What you see you learn, what you learn, you practice, and what you practice, you become. And if, Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes.”
Surrendering your will to God offers various other benefits.
It allows you to look up to see the divine in moments of despair and seek a mentor, companion, and teacher to assist on your path with heart. No matter how bad you think you have gone astray, surrendering your will, creating a paradigm shift in behavior, can provide you with the strength you require to overcome your weaknesses. It allows you to let go of things that are not in your control and solely rely on and choose a new path of consciousness.
As mentioned earlier, many people find it challenging to trust God because they believe He’s the one who puts them through miseries and sorrows. They may sometimes feel like a victim and believe that life has been unfair to them. However, once you surrender will, you’ll feel less resentment towards others and get more peace of mind knowing that an omnipotent power is between the alpha and omega of our lives – – – good and bad.
World famous Psychiatrist Carl Jung was once asked by a reporter on television “Do you now believe in God,” responded, “Oh Yes . . . Now, I don’t need to believe, I know.”
“Be still and know that I am God.”