Trust and Surrender

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into bards, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day."  -Matt. 6:25-34

There is something to be said about the concepts of surrender and trust. These words are not really welcomed in today's society. To surrender in today's terms is to give up. To trust is to be weak and foolish. If we truly look at these two words in the light of Truth and what they encompass, then we begin to see that these words require a complete gift of self. To surrender and trust is to put aside our own wants and desires and seek those of another: the Lord. In this passage from Matthew's Gospel, Jesus tells us not to be anxious about anything, but rather, to trust that our heavenly Father knows our needs and desires. When we simply surrender and trust, we submit ourselves to a will more perfect than our own and our lives will be flooded with an unshakable peace. It is when we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness that our confidence and trust in the Lord begin to grow in unexpected ways. Let us open up our hearts to Him in a new way and begin to see the different ways that the Lord takes care of us. 


Written by Alycia, Special Events Coordinator for the Carmelite Sister for the Aged and Infirm