Terms of Surrender

In our defeat we ask for mercy. All great wars and battles have but one victorious and one vanquished. All defeated Generals must surrender.

We pretend to be Generals in this life. We assume prerogatives of power that come with the gift of free will. The weaker we are, the more we try to control others. The more shame we carry, the more others come under our judgement.

How is it we presume to stand defiantly in opposition to our Creator? We cannot see the expression of mercy on Jesus' face when our own eyes are clouded over with the negative selfish emotions of the beast.

How arrogant we are when we prepare to enter the ring with God? We do not understand what "Undefeated" is until we confront God with our defiance and are vanquished.

We surrender, we repent, we beg for mercy.

Under mortal circumstances, surrender would require many concessions to the victor. Our earthly possessions would now belong to our new master.

When I was defeated by God and resisted for the last time, again, I opened my eyes and saw the strength and mercy on His face. I saw the wounds He carried from previous battles. I surrendered and placed my weapons on the ground. He smiled. It was no ordinary smile, it, unlike any other, was not arrogant and yet it truly belonged to the Undefeated.

To have NEVER been defeated and not shame the prostrate form begging for mercy and forgiveness is the heart of our true God.

Lifting the defeated one, who now hides his eyes, in shame, waiting for the suffering to end, Jesus holds him to his chest. The foolish man feels he is no longer the enemy and because he is not destroyed begins to realize the war is over. God gives us enough time to allow self-forgiveness, which transforms our prior selfish resentments, to dissolve. Now the weary smiling vanquished, still clinging to shame, slowly uncovers his eyes to see the radiantly smiling Undefeated victorious one and recognizes it to be the smile of a true Father forgiving a son.

How many of us get cocky after we go through a few days with no apparent Mistakes? How many of us enjoy our own reflection more after we got a promotion or landed a big job? How many times have we become impatient with others because they are where we were, struggling to succeed at something we think we have conquered? How easily we forget how long we struggled to only be as far as we've come? How easily do we forget how far we have to go?

How easy is it to love a God that is never impatient, arrogant, condescending because we are so imperfect in our ways...so easily defeated...so limited by our finite ways...so forgetful that God created us that way...limited, imperfect, impatient, selfish...

How glorious is the moment for which God awaits, as he has for countless others, throughout eternity when we experience the supreme ongoing joy of progress towards perfection...How much better we become, more patient, forgiving, and unselfish as we extend patience, forgiveness, and unselfish desires towards others...

We begin to feel what God feels...

Isn't the pain worth the experience of feeling the "mustard seed" version of God's love for us?

The "pearl of great price" is in our own back yard not in some far away mountain peak, nor hidden in esoteric literature that humans have and will argue about for centuries."The Pearl" is in our own hearts and within our grasp. If we see it, believe in it, we will nurture and protect it. I have heard that material things must be known in order to be loved and divine things must be loved in order to be known.

Jesus surrendered his life so that we might find ours. His "Terms of Surrender" are on Golgotha. Unlike us, he only carries the scars of a battle we will never truly comprehend. For what appears to some as defeat, we know is an incredible victory for an entire universe for all time.

Perhaps when we feel defeated, within our terms of surrender, there might be included:

1. My greatest affliction is to have never been afflicted.... Wisdom comes through tribulation
2. I will possess knowledge by sharing it...
3. I will not argue about "the truth" but will live it...
4. I will give advice only when it is asked for...
5. My difficulties will become a challenge for success...
6. I will learn to become disappointment proof...
7. I will live the Golden Rule...
8. I will simplify my search for God's will by determining whether I am being selfish or unselfish...
9. I will thank God for all conditions in my life...
10. I understand that if I only love those who love me that I will become mean and shallow...
11. I will be gracious to those who understand less than I and respectful to those above me...I have learned that humans tend to ridicule or destroy those who are superior spiritually.
12. I will allow God to make my "Terms of Surrender" an endless list where I may truly learn to love and serve...for I have also learned this: Eternity exists for those who have truly fallen in love with God because they know it will take forever to thank God for winning.