Surrender

Oak seedling beneath an oak tree

          Surrender may seem as appetizing as a fuzz-covered lollipop. Yet it doesn’t involve simply giving up but finding a way out. What we surrender are the strategies, rationalizations and manipulations we’ve used to battle our habit with no positive results. It should be obvious: our greatest solutions often turned our problem into an even greater predicament. If we do decide to give up our methods, who then do we surrender to? The wise choice would be someone who has more knowledge and experience in this area than us. Look for evidence that their approach has worked well in his or her life; watch for signs of joy, equanimity and contentment that aren’t temporarily produced by unhealthy behavior. This mentor could be a person in recovery, a support group of some kind, a therapist or a religious/spiritual organization.  If they have found a doorway to freedom, they can point the way for us too.

Life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice. 

~ Maya Angelou

For more information on surrendering, see this post.