God's Grace and surrender

Surrender is our ultimate achievement. There is no difference between God’s Grace and our unconditional surrender. God’s Grace and our unconditional surrender are like the obverse and reverse of the same coin. If God did not give us that kind of Grace, then we could not make unconditional surrender. To receive God’s Grace is a real achievement. To make unconditional surrender is also a real achievement. God is showing us Compassion, not because surrender is something inferior, but because surrender is something that God cherishes and treasures.

We are mistaken if we feel that our surrender is like a helpless child in the dark. We should feel rather that our surrender is like a roaring lion. We can say to ourselves, “I am surrendering to the One who is infinitely more powerful. I am surrendering to the One who really cares for me.” It is best to feel that there is nobody else on earth: no father, no mother, no brother, no sister, no husband, no wife. We cannot claim others or even ourselves. The Supreme is the only person here on earth and there in Heaven whom we can claim as our very own.

Touching God’s Feet is also a form of surrender. When we touch God’s Feet we feel that we are doing absolutely the right thing; we are not bloated with pride that Grace descended and gave us the chance to touch God’s Feet. But when we touch the feet of a human being, we feel that we are doing it under compulsion, not out of joy. If we surrender to human beings and not to the Divine, then in addition to stupidity, our surrender becomes a kind of bondage.

But when we surrender to the One in us who is illumined, who is realised, then our surrender is going to our Source, to our Highest.

Why should somebody get the power of surrender when somebody else does not get it? If the seeker desperately needs God, then only surrender is bound to come. But if he feels that he has to surrender like a slave, because God is infinitely more powerful than he is, then he will surrender only to his stupidity and his ignorance. The moment he offers his ignorance, he gets wisdom from God. He tells God: “God, I am giving You what I have.” God says, “Give it to Me, my son, with the condition that you don’t take it back.” If we give to God without asking Him to return something to us, then God will give us what He has. He will say, “All right, why should I remain indebted to you? You have given Me what you have; now let Me give you what I have.” If we give to God and then take back our gift, God does not owe us anything. But if we give to Him unconditionally, He will give us what He has: His Wealth. God’s Wealth is His Divinity, His Love and His Vision.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Surrender's unlimited power, Sri Chinmoy Lighthouse, New York, 1974
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/sup