Surrender To The Authorities

Surrender to the Authorities

In setting out to become a better person, your daily focus shouldn’t be change; it should be surrender.

Let’s say you want to get back in shape by running a 5K. When you wake up, your first thoughts probably aren’t about standing at the finish line. You’re thinking that you don’t want to get out of bed. Or how hard it will be to find your running shoes. Or whether you can make it the first mile. Essentially, you have to surrender your desire to stay under the covers because running is more important than sleeping in.

Discipline is about surrendering to the authorities—the fitness experts who tell you what it takes to complete a 5K, and to God, who is the best authority on what it takes to become a better human being.

As much as the goal is why you run the race, discipline and surrender are the how. Trust that the authorities know what they’re talking about, and you’ll find yourself changing before you know it.

Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. . . . Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. —Romans 12:1–2