Most people understand the concept of surrender. Dictionary.com defines it as the following:

“1. to yield (something) to the possession or power of another; deliver up possession of on demand or under duress: to surrender the fort to the enemy; to surrender the stolen goods to thepolice.

2. to give (oneself) up, as to the police.

3. to give (oneself) up to some influence, course, emotion,etc.: He surrendered himself to a life of hardship.

4. to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).

5. to yield or resign (an office, privilege, etc.) in favor of another.”

When it comes to surrendering our things, thoughts, or ideas, the concept may not be difficult to swallow. It may be hard to give up old clothes, tattered photos, and books. And even painful to surrender our homes, our health, or our dream job.

But when it comes to letting go completely into the unknown, how willing are you to sacrifice security for the sheer emptiness that contains nothing, but faith?

We think that a recipe of courage, hard work, determination, strength and willpower can give us the lives we dream of. And sometimes it can. But when it comes to the things beyond our control, sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves is to let go and have faith.

On her TV show Master Class, Oprah Winfrey says this about surrender:

“God can dream a bigger dream for me, for you, than you could ever dream for yourself. When you’ve worked as hard and done as much and strived and tried and given and pled and bargained and hoped…surrender. When you have done all that you can do, and there’s nothing left for you to do, give it up. Give it up to that thing that is greater than yourself, and let it then become a part of the flow.”
— Oprah

Sometimes when I feel discouraged that life didn’t unfold the way that I had hoped; some days when I sit and stare out the window and mourn the loss of dreams that did not reveal itself the way I planned, I remember that the world does not revolve around me. I remember that I create parts of my life, but I am not its sole creator.

When I’ve done all I’ve can to sew together the most beautiful quilt of wishes ever seen, I know that all that’s left for me to do is sit back, admire its beauty and return it in the hands of its true creator. To me, that is what surrender is. It’s painful. It’s hard. I don’t want to return the very gift I created with my own hands. But I know it’s not my decision to make or mine to keep.

Perhaps, that’s what you need to do right now.

Maybe it’s time to let go of the person you’ve been holding onto or time to let go of that dream. It doesn’t mean you will never have what you want. It only means that you’ve done everything you can. Your part is over. Now it is time to let go and surrender it. God will decide what’s next.