Surrendering to Spirit

Does the spiritual journey require a surrendering to God, the Goddess, or a Higher Power? Beliefnet members share opinions and personal experiences, as well as their resistance to the concept. Here is a sampling of their insights and an opportunity to

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"[Surrender] means not living with yourself and narcissistic ego as the center, but instead living with God and Love as the center of your life and thus entering into a harmonious relationship with God where you are truly free to become all you where meant to be...."

	The Voices of Surrender A multifaith selection of quotes on the subject of surrender.

"When one is beginning to embrace a spiritual path, a certain degree of surrender is important to cultivate in order to center oneself and cultivate Humility.... When Christians surrender to Jesus, they open themselves up to Christian angelic energies. When Muslims surrender to Allah, they open themselves up to Islamic angelic energies. Same for Judaism, Hinduism, etc. So when one 'surrenders,' one is opening up to channeling certain energies of an angelic nature."

There's an old joke that goes "If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans for your life!"

"This is really the core of struggles with addictions--surrender. I've always had a problem with surrendering. I never thought of it in a positive way. It was equivalent, in my mind, with Losing! Surrendering represented loss of control. It was 'surrender' that finally freed me from alcohol and cigarettes."

"We don't have to try to get to God. God is already here, within us, surrounding us, companioning us, loving us. God will reach out to us and all we need to do is surrender: open our hearts and say yes."

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