Posted by Helen on Apr 19, 2013 in Older Articles
Psychic/Medium Sharon Cheney on Surrender
When we are faced with life’s challenges, we want to understand why these things happen to us and often we look for someone or something to blame. Each experience of violence, abuse or pain provides us with opportunities to practice forgiveness, surrender and letting love overcome our fears rather than hate and vengeance. We each chose to have these experiences on a soul level for our learning.
Any time we are faced with obstacles and challenges that we feel we cannot overcome, these are the perfect opportunities to surrender and give it up to God. There is always a higher plan at work even if we are unaware of it. Perhaps the struggles we face are all part of a greater plan to teach us that we have what it takes to overcome our difficulties.
The mind asks “What must I surrender?” The answer is all the fear, hatred, anger, lack of trust in a higher power and the denial that every one of us is a powerful being capable of love and great change. Every journey begins with the first step so consider what you are willing to do rather than looking at what your friends and neighbors are doing.
Many times surrender is something we are fearful or reluctant to do because we see surrender as defeat, loss of power and freedom. Often we are unwilling to surrender until we have no choice or cannot stand the situation any longer. If we fail to surrender, we have a good chance that life will present us with even more challenges that we find overwhelming. In trying to cope with these challenges, we may be forced to surrender when we discover that trying to cope using our old strategies no longer works. We must ask ourselves “Does it pay to keep struggling without getting positive results?” The answer is no. It always better to surrender willingly than fight letting go.
Surrender sounds difficult but it is only through letting go that we can arrive at a new way of being. As long as we continue to hold onto our same old beliefs, our reality will not change no matter how much we would like it to. No one is going to rescue us from our beliefs or problems no matter how much we wish that might happen. We must also realize we cannot change others unless they want to change even if we believe that change would be beneficial. The only option we have is to change ourselves and the best way to do that is to surrender.
Surrender allows us to trust. Those who cannot let go and trust usually have a need to be in control due to their fear. This limits them to manifesting only the possibilities that they can think of and not the unlimited possibilities that are really available. This occurs because our thoughts create our realities so the solution is to surrender and pay attention to what shows up in your life.
When we can get beyond the fear that causes us to hold onto something that it is time to let go of, we experience the freedom and joy that letting go provides. This includes a sense of peace that comes with the thought that our troubles are now in God’s hands and what is destined to be will be.
When we surrender situations that were very difficult, they turn into peaceful ones. The joy and gratitude we feel is so great that we start to say to ourselves “I want more of that” and ask “Why didn’t I surrender sooner?” We begin to believe in the benefits of surrendering and letting go because now we see that letting go makes room for new things in our life that are more suitable to our needs.
While it is a difficult to let go, it is our choice. As soon as we make that choice, we discover new possibilities that open up for us of which we were previously unaware. We have to be willing to take the first step into the unknown in order to discover what lies in store for us. So surrender leads to new possibilities we thought impossible and teaches us to trust that everything will be okay even if we are not in the driver’s seat.
In surrendering, we let down our defenses that have kept us where we are for so long. The defenses we used to protect ourselves from hurt and danger disappear allowing us to feel vulnerable. Our greatest strength comes from our ability to be vulnerable. Anyone can put up defenses in order to feel safe. But it is only when we let go do we allow ourselves to move to a deeper level of understanding and trust within ourselves.
Don’t miss out on life’s growth opportunities because of past painful experiences, fear that you will not attain your goals or there would never be anyone to help you. Life doesn’t work that way. When one door closes another one opens, even if we cannot see what is behind that new door until we walk through it. As long as our mind is focused on our past experiences, we will be unable to envision the new possibilities that the future holds for us. Our present is not supposed to look like our past but it will if we fail to surrender and move on.
Often people use the excuse of past painful experiences to close their hearts to love, new relationships and experiences. Learn from your past hurts rather than letting them paralyze you from taking chances and having new experiences. Let them teach you to be more compassionate and understanding of the behavior of others.
We can only create in the moment. If we focus on the past and make our decisions based on past experiences, I can assure you that your present will look just like your past instead of the future you desire. I strongly encourage you to let go of your fears, disappointments, efforts that didn’t succeed and live in the present moment which is the only place where you can create anything new.
Surrender is not moving away from God, rather it is moving towards love and All That Is. Surrender is opening to new possibilities you never believed possible. When new possibilities manifest in your life, it makes you feel grateful and happy that you choose to let go. These feelings help you to let go of the rest of your defenses because you will want to feel happy all the time.
Surrender can lead not only to gratitude and joy but to new feelings of liberation such as “I don’t need to worry about that any longer”, “It is not my problem”, “Let someone else take care of it”, and “I give it up to God”. Surrender brings gratitude and relief that you no longer need to carry your burden alone, and the joy that comes from feeling you are free to move ahead without struggle. Surrender is so much more than the sum of its losses.
Surrender is part of a natural growth cycle that is part of life. We let go of childhood needs and wants to pursue the interests of adolescence, we move from the desires we shared as young adults to ones we prefer as older adults. With each new level we must let go of the past in order to move forward.
Many times we hear the expressions go with the flow, live in the present moment and surrender to God’s will. What these expressions are really asking us to do is to give up old habits, beliefs, and our usual methods of coping with life. Surrender may require letting go of some relationships that no longer support and nurture us or change how we interact with others.
The benefits to surrendering are we live and create in the moment and address each new situation based on its own merit rather than on past experiences. This is very liberating and teaches us to trust in our ability to handle situations. Surrender lets love flow and allows new people and possibilities to show up in our lives. Surrender involves trusting that everything will be okay even if we cannot see what okay will look like. Surrender allows us to heal from the inside out. Surrender is a precious gift that cannot be given to anyone else, but when it is given to the self, it can help to heal the world.
Sharon Cheney comes to Denver twice a year to offer workshops at Colorado Free University. Her classes are listed in the special events section. Sharon is available for readings and other services in person or by phone and you can purchase her books and online classes from her website. Reach her by phone at (505) 474-6363 or (514) 312-2451 to schedule a reading.