Surrender is a central theme in the Bible. It's something that God‘s people continually struggle with. Both the embracing and rejection of surrender is seen countless times.

Surrender is as counter-cultural a concept as you can possibly find. It betrays everything the world tells us about how power works, about how important it is to watch out for ourselves at the cost of others, and certainly goes against the cultural narrative that the one you should trust the most is yourself.

Yet, it is inseparable from the life of a Christian. Surrender is necessary. Surrender is worship. Surrender is actually life-giving, and counter intuitively, brings more freedom when lived out. But here's the catch; like so many things that Jesus taught, you cannot begin to understand that truth until you live it.

To sing "I surrender all" can feel disconnected or disingenuous from what we actually experience in every day life. We can still choose to sing this song as an expression of hope and intent, that it would grow increasingly true of us each day.  None of us have truly surrendered everything we have to Christ but by his grace we learn how to lay down our plans, our fears, our ambitions, and our very lives each day as He carries us along in his kindness.