Give It Up! Practicing Surrender with a Yummy Side of Gratitude
You know
what is even more powerful than the practice of surrender? Combining surrender with the practice of
gratitude!
During an
early morning time of meditation and contemplation this thought popped into my
mind, "if surrender and gratitude had a baby it would be called ‘give it
up’!" I laughed. Spirit has such a good sense of humor. I sat
with the words for a bit and then they morphed into “when you combine the
practice of surrender with gratitude, you GIVE IT UP!” Get it?
Well I hope you do as it offers us a greater possibility of being with
what is and in experiencing equanimity.
I love
playing with words. It provides an opportunity to find deeper meaning, clear
old outdated associations and to shift how I perceive “what is”.
A simple string of well-crafted words can
provide us with an illuminating “lightbulb” moment.
This is more
then a string of words, this concept of combining two of the most powerful
practices together shine light on wonderful healing possibilities. Not
only in the many ways we can use this combined practice, but also in providing
greater support for intense, chaotic, transformational times.
Hmm, where
oh, where could we apply such a practice? We have plenty to work with just with
the current political climate. Throw in extended time over the holidays with
family (especially if we have
differing political views) and viola, lots of opportunities to practice!
Most of you are probably familiar with the practices of surrender and gratitude already, but let’s
review and expand.
What comes
to mind when you think the thought, “give it up”? When that phrase popped into my mind, I immediately
saw an image of a person joyfully standing with hands high in the air in praise
and thanksgiving.
“Give it up”
is very different than giving up. People often associate surrender with giving
up as well. But surrender doesn't mean
you give up. Just like forgiveness doesn't mean you forget.
To surrender
means you’ve exhausted all the possibilities available from the human
experience. For me, it’s an invitation, like a prayer, for spiritual
intervention.
The Serenity Prayer comes
to mind, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the
courage to change the things I can, and the willingness to know the
difference.”
Accepting
the things, we cannot change also implies we are not expecting them to
change. Surrender is laying down all we
are holding in resistance or struggle and letting it all go to be shown another
way or option not currently available in our built-in library of resources and
references called the subconscious mind.
Often after
I surrender a situation, I will add the words, “show me the way” and wait with
willingness for a response that feels in alignment with my soul to arrive.
Pausing in this open space with no direction
or idea of what of action to take can cause a slip back into the issue.
That’s where
gratitude is a great next step! Did I
lose you? Stay with me!
Ever heard the saying, “nature abhors a
vacuum?” It means, if you don’t put
something in the place that is now vacant, something else will be put
there. When it comes to our creature of
habit minds, what most likely will be put right back in that place is the issue you just surrendered!
So instead
fill that void with some gratitude.
Once you fully surrender which may include: surrendering grudges you're holding, resistance, unhealthy patterns, being stuck in right or wrong thinking, blaming, or whatever your special blend of inner conflict is that is keeping you stuck, you will feel so thankful to be free of the pain and discomfort associated with all that negative energy taking up space in your being!
Give
thanks in advance for situations concerning you being fully resolved before they actually are.
Gratitude
lifts us up and gifts us with joy and peace when we focus our attention on
anything and everything that we appreciate.
Even in challenging situations, there is always something to give thanks
for.
Like I
already alluded to, gratitude may simply look like being thankful for the willingness
to choose higher and for your ability to surrender.
An even bigger practice of gratitude is to focus on something that you value and
appreciate about the situation or the person the previous issue was connected
to. (I used the word “previous” intentionally. Remember it’s gone now, you
surrendered it or you will, right?!!)
This level
of practicing gratitude is playing full out and will expand your big beautiful
heart with more love, acceptance, and compassion for yourself and others, even
if you don’t have direct contact with them.
Now, let’s
go back to the idea of the combined practice of surrender and gratitude that
offers us the opportunity to “give it up.”
What would
"give it up" look like behaviorally?
Here are
some possibilities:
*Shifting
out of a stuck perspective or limiting patterns.
*Apologizing
for your side of the situation.
*Forgiving,
whether you do so in person or not. (Forgiveness is an inside job.)
*Imagining
you received an apology that was never offered.
*Meeting
your own need(s) and moving forward.
*Creating a new way of seeing things that shifts you from the old story to a new, reframed
story that offers grace for both and healing for all.
Basically,
“give it up” means to let go of the old way of being with what is or was. It’s
a practice that will clear the debris in the way, so you can see the higher possibility and hopefully glean some wisdom from the experience.
This
practice will return you to the essence of who you are so you can interact from
there. Not from your conditioned self, not from our wounded self, but from that
pure space of unconditional love and peace.
You know that place, right? Oh, you don’t? Well then, I’m glad I reintroduced you to our
wonderful travel companions available to support us on the journey of life, surrender, and gratitude.
Let’s give
it up for all the many ways they offer us a more elevated experience even
through turbulent skies!
Grateful for
the opportunity to share my soul musing with you. May it support you in experiencing a peaceful,
joyful Holiday Season!
“To
surrender is to yield to the next stage of our evolution. It is saying, ‘I’m
available to what wants to evolve and emerge through me and I’m willing to
practice and embody what it takes for it to do so.’”
Michael
Beckwith
Soul Musings are just that, “musings”. Not advice, just an exploration of my own journey with some transformational concepts sprinkled in to support others along the way!
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