This Independence Day find the Courage to Let Go
When I think about surrender, I envision falling back into the arms of God with no hesitation, trusting that he will catch my fall. I envision detaching from my worrisome thoughts and feeling the freedom that comes from not being bogged down with fear, grief, or guilt. I envision living life as a kite, soaring through the air with the winds beneath me pulling me even closer to the divine. Like the kite, I will sway up and down, with the goal of remaining in spirit.
This past year has been a challenging one for me to say the least- today marks the last time I spent time with my granddaughter and the day I began to see that my family was no longer what I believed and thought it should be. I’ve learned to surrender my idea of what a family is and let go of my thoughts of what my life should be so that I could embrace what is. This year I have truly learned to do what I talk about it my books, trainings, and talks – BE.
For the past week, I've been reading Wayne Dyer’s book, Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling, and it has given me even greater meaning as I practice surrendering. I choose to believe that I played a part in the life I’ve been given, including the struggles. Believing that I had a part in many of the unfortunate things that have happened in my life, has given me a way to take responsibility for the parts of my life I don’t like, so that I give myself the authority to move in this moment.
In the book, Dyer says “…it can be a great help to look at your entire life as the unfolding of a plan that you participate in before you even arrived here [on earth]. By doing so, you shift from blaming others and circumstances to being responsible and feeling your purpose. Whatever shows up in your life then becomes a part of the perfection of this plan.” Think about that for a moment as it relates to something that you’re struggling with.
I choose to believe that because God created me to have compassion, love, and kindness for those that don’t think they deserve it, he had to provide me with a life in which I would be tested to show compassion, love, and kindness even when I wasn’t feeling it myself. In other words, think about your own purpose and then think about the test you’ve been given to teach and model this for others.
As parents, children, spouses, friends, employees, and many of the other labels we give ourselves, we spend much of our lives trying to get approval from those we love and value.. We wait for our bosses to tell us we're doing a good job; we want our parents to be proud of us; we ultimately want others to like us. But what happens when others don't show love, affection, or approval? Does this mean that we're less of a person? Does it mean that you should beat yourself up for past mistakes? Or does it mean that it's time to surrender our beliefs about the way things should be and accept what is? Surrendering is in no way giving in but letting go.
Each of our lives will be different, therefore our stories will be too. I see each person’s life as a beautiful book displayed on a shelf – with various covers in diverse styles, countless genres, events and experiences. But each of our unique stories influences someone else’s.
This past year I’ve lived in a fog of doubt, guilt, sadness, and fear of what was happening in my life. I've learned to surrender and trust in this God’s plan.
What do you need to surrender today so that you can stop trying to control your story and start living out the pages of your life?
Happy 4th of July!!
Niki Spears,
Author, Speaker
Chief Culture Cre8or
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