“Jesus deigned to show me the road that leads to this Divine Furnace, and this road is the surrender of the little child who sleeps without fear in its Father’s arms.” St. Therese of Lisieux
The life of Jesus shows is that it is acceptable to choose surrender as a unifying and central idea and path to sanctity.
According to the Letter to the Hebrews, He says upon entering the world, “Behold, I have come to do Your Will, O God as it is written in the roll of the book.” Hebrews 10:7. In an act of surrender Jesus surrenders His fears and desires in the garden, “Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42 and finishes His life with an act of total absolute surrender, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit” Luke 23:46. Abandonment is the central focus of the Lord’s life – the alpha and omega premise.
We can distinguish three stages of surrender. The first stages consists of accepting and assenting to God’s Will as it manifests Itself in all the circumstances of our life. The second is actively doing God’s Will at every moment of life. The third stage is to become completely abandoned to God so as to become a complaint tool in His Hands. At this stage, it is no longer I who do God’s Will, but God Who accomplishes His Divine Will through me.
St. Therese of Lisieux wrote, “for a long time, I have no longer belonged to myself, I am totally surrendered to Jesus, so He is free to do with me as He wills.”
Where are you in these stages of abandonment? Are you actively striving to become a tool for God to use in accomplishing His Will?