When you think of surrender what images come up for you?
Often, it involves a battle between one person or group who wins and another person or group who loses. And losing means surrendering power to the winner. The loser is at the mercy of the winner that may not consider or care about their needs.
During the many sessions I offer as a Spiritual Coach, I have discovered that clients experience much fear in truly surrendering to the Divine. They fear letting their guard down as if they may be victims of a tyrannical God. But to understand the value of spiritual surrender first requires an acknowledgement that we have very little control over much of our lives.
I have discovered that surrender in my spiritual practice has been my greatest blessing. It will bring you far more support in achieving your goals than just winging it alone.
I remember experiencing surrender when as a teen I had a mad crush on an adorable boy who had all the girls chasing him. I was too insecure to ask a boy out. But it was my secret desire to have him as my boyfriend. I prayed that I might have this relationship. The evidence in my environment didn’t look good. Various girls were spending time with him and it was impossible to get close to him. What was worse was my best friend wanted him for herself. So I surrendered my will to the greater Will of God. And I made no further actions to get to know him. About a week later, we all attended a birthday party where the boy was invited. Again, I made no actions to get close to him, but then something happened. We ended up sitting next to each other as the band played. Despite the other girls’ strategies to keep him engaged with them, he ended up hanging with me. A month later, we were an item. My girlfriend wasn’t too upset because she saw that he was choosing to pursue me. It was the perfect Divine resolution to my problem and my desire. This experience taught me so much about trusting in the Divine Order.
On the Sufi path, we surrender to the Will of God (or Allah). It is aligning our desires with the larger Will of a compassionate God Who has our best interests always in mind. Surrender helps us release from old patterns and belief systems to embrace a larger perspective that can steer us in the right direction. In yoga the goal is also communion with the Divine as we surrender our bodies and minds to commune with the Divine.
But how do you actually surrender to the Divine? And how do you know when your prayers are answered? There are many teachings I can offer in a spiritual coaching session, but here’s a simple practice you can embrace right now:
Steps to Surrender to the Divine:
- Identify the problem or desire you want to address.
- Take some deep breaths into the heart.
- Have an honest dialogue with the Divine about your issue.
- Be patient while the Divine addresses your request.
- Look for signs (both inside you and outside) that give you a clear answer.
This simple practice is not always easy. Sometimes it takes a spiritual coach to help you:
- Unveil what the real desire or problem is;
- Learn powerful spiritual prescriptions that quickly move you to experiencing the blessings of the Divine;
- Discover how to enjoy the practice of patience when you want to force your will on the situation;
- Learn how to read the Divine signs inside you and around you that answer your most pressing questions.
Surrender is not about surrendering your power. It’s about surrendering the forceful ego-driven will to a greater Divine Will so that you are in alignment and can access greater power and wisdom. This is why a Sufi-Yoga spiritual coaching session can really help. As you discover the many benefits of surrender, you’ll find that you have more ease, peace, trust, energy, love and wisdom to follow the Divine guidance that leads you to a fulfilled and happy life.
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