Isn’t that what most people say?
And yet we often struggle through life and fight to surrender all along the way. Most religions tell us that there is a peace that passes all understanding that keeps our hearts and minds open to the greatest joy and love. But where? And how do we access it? I’ve been asking and practicing this for years.
It’s probably no surprise that the answer is surrender. But what is surrender? And the bigger question is how?
Today this little crab at the ocean’s edge taught me something about this topic.
It was only a few days ago that I said to my friend in frustration that I wanted to surrender to another level but didn’t know how to genuinely do it without feeling I was ‘giving up.’
This little crab 🦀 caught my eye as his little yellow body scurried along the dark, wet sand. I stopped to watch, which led to a mini photo shoot. He was so cute and appeared incredibly joyful. I wondered where his eyes really were, as I could barely see the dark specks on his head. Then I wondered what it would feel like to be in such a light yet hard-shelled body.
The next thing I knew, the wave took us both by surprise, covering my feet while he was submerged. As the wave subsided, he was nuzzled into a cluster of seagrass. He wasn’t moving, and I wondered if he’d drowned. A slight zing hit my heart, wondering if I’d distracted him from paying attention to the wave that had come ashore.
I waited a few moments, and there was no movement. I couldn’t wait any longer and decided to move the clump ever so slightly to see if he’d stir. Sure enough, he moved a claw, and I sighed a breath of relief and decided to move on.
As I continued my walk down the beach, it came to me that he’d displayed great surrender to his environment. I don’t think that little guy was hanging on to the grass in fear, screaming — “I’m gonna die!” No, he simply trusted that the wave would wash over him and subside. I’m sure he wouldn’t even care if it swept him away!
So the question of — how to surrender — is through letting go and trusting that there is a source much greater than us available to wash us ashore or take us to sea at any moment in time. It’s only the judgments — like sand in our pants or sea salt in our hair -that stop us from enjoying the journey.
Let’s be real, Nature has an advantage over us humans, and it’s so simple yet so complex. We have a mind that thinks thoughts and evokes emotions. That’s where it gets complicated. What the crab does is stay connected to Source energy and allows itself to go with the flow all the time.
I wished it was that easy for us humans, and yet, in the same thought, know that it can be. Everything is only a thought away, a concept that has been around for centuries, and so few practice the heights of its power.
It’s always the mind that takes us places — oftentimes to the places we don’t want to go. If we agree on that, then we can agree on the fact that it can take us to great places too.
That’s why I came to the beach today. My mind has a strong hold on me. It was cantankerous and mean-spirited as it swirled thoughts that were serving me no good. In fact, they were debilitating and stopping me from accomplishing anything. So I came to the beach to let it all go, and surrender into the force of nature. To allow Source energy to lift me back up, dust me off, and run on the beach like the little crab does.
Beth Bell
#1 Best Selling Amazon author of “Angels, Herpes and Psychedelics: Unraveling the Mind to Unveil Illusions” Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3A4aaHT
Learn more at BethBell.me
If you’re interested in harvesting pearls of wisdom to bring greater peace, joy, and love in your life, check out the 5 Pearls of Wisdom Workbook that’s a free gift with the “Awakening and Healing Handbook” on BethBell.me
