The Magic of Surrender

Life sometimes shows up in unexpected ways, while you're busy making plans and believing you're holding it all together. There's nothing wrong with thinking you're in control of it all, as long as you aren't too fooled by your own pretense.

There's a saying that goes, "How do you make life laugh? Make plans." The trick is to laugh right along with it. But you can only do that when you're not too attached to your blueprints.

If you can remain flexible and spontaneous, even unexpected events can be interesting and enjoyable. On the other hand, if you think life has to show up exactly as you plan it, you may be in for some suffering.

I once had an extremely fortunate experience in a moment of crisis when I was at a complete and utter loss of what to do. I was baffled by a situation that seemed to demand that I do something and yet I could not think of a single strategy that offered a viable solution.

Finally, I threw my hands up in the air and said, "Inner Presence, put me where I'm supposed to be and show me what to do because I have no clue!" It was a true surrender, an absolute and authentic letting go of trying to (or thinking I could) control any person, place or thing.

What followed was an extraordinary chain of events that I could never have imagined, much less set into motion myself. Issues that before had seemed impossible to solve just evaporated. In fact, what unfolded involved radical, yet positive changes in the lives of many of people. It solved multiple problems all at once. The transformation seemed so effortless that I felt like I was being carried down a river of pure grace. This event actually changed my life forever.

I now surrender all my plans over to what I call my Inner Presence. I still try to organize my mornings, days and months, but I know that existence might have something even better in mind that I may not see. I visualize what I'd like to happen and say, "this or something better for the highest purpose of all involved is manifesting in my life experience now." Then I let go and see what shows up.

When I meet life enthusiastically and accept that even the things I don't like may be perfect for that particular moment, I free myself from the suffering that my resistance brings and instead I open to the beauty of what each moment has to offer.

This article is brought to you by MATCH.