Why do you Surrender?

There are all kinds of images that come to mind when someone says the word "Surrender".  What I am curious about is why do we surrender?  Sure, someone else might have an Atomic bomb, or we might be scared enough to soil our pants, but why do we Surrender to God?  Are you scared of Him, or do you think you will get something from Him?........

If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds. - Jesse Jackson

The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission. - John F. Kennedy

We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can - namely, surrender our will and fulfill God's will in us. - Saint Teresa of Avila

Childlike surrender and trust, I believe, is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship. - Brennan Manning

A key to everything is surrender - to really come before the Lord and say, 'I will literally stay here as long as you want me to stay' or 'God, I will really go anywhere on the earth.' - Francis Chan

So, some parts of our culture tell us to never surrender - for then you will be weak, and at the same time in the church we say that we have to surrender.  How do we find balance in that?  I am going to purposfullly pass on that for now.

What has me thinking these days is "Why do we surrender?"

When we talk of surrender in church, we are talking about surrendering our lives to our Father, our friend, the lover of our soul and our Savior.  Why do we need to surrender to our friend? I suspect we often surrender because we think we are going to get something.  Something good.  Something like good fortune, or blessings, or friends, or acceptance, or Salvation.  But then, if that is our motivation, we are really bartering, not surrendering.  I give you something and you give me something.  I think the motivation for my surrender should be because He is God.  Not anything else.

As this relates to my current situation, there are any number of reasons and explanations for why we are making this change in our lives.  There has not been enough work for me for quite some time.  I am not very content with my job.  Sometimes I look at what is happening in our schools with our kids and I think we should just leave the country.  Exposing our kids to the rest of the world will be good for them.  Expanding our horizons will be good for Wanda and I.  This is a great opportunity to help those in need. Etc, etc, etc.

When I talk with people about why we are surrendering and how that affects our lives and our kids, it is SO easy to fall into those reasons, because they all hold reasonable and real explanations.  There are parts of truth in each one.  But what really drives us to surrender ourselves and step out in faith? It is because of who called.  Jesus calls us.  Nothing else matters, they are all details.

That is easy to say, but something else to do.  And I am finding it is also difficult to express.  When a professional colleague asks why I am doing this; how do I respond in a way that balances the realities that he can understand (work/kids/need) with the truth of a simple response to an almighty God?  I want to be able to share the real reason that we are going, that we are surrendering.

What does this look like in your life?  God has called you, how have you responded?  Why do you do the things that you do for God?  What drives you, what do you expect from God in return?  How do you feel when you are surrendered?