The Beauty of Surrender: Finding Freedom in Letting Go

When we hear the word "surrender," our minds often drift to images of defeat. White flags waving on battlefields. Wrestlers tapping out in humiliation. The end of something we fought hard to maintain. In our culture, surrender feels like losing.
But what if surrender isn't about giving up at all? What if it's actually about letting go?

A Teenager From Nowhere

The Christmas story introduces us to a young girl from an insignificant town. Nazareth was tiny—about twenty acres, roughly the size of twenty football fields. With a population of only 200-400 people, it was the kind of place others looked down upon. In fact, when one of Jesus's future disciples heard He was from Nazareth, his response was blunt: "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

Yet it was to this unremarkable place that God sent the angel Gabriel with the most remarkable news in human history.

Mary was a teenager, probably only thirteen to fifteen years old. She was engaged but not yet married. She had no credentials, no platform, no influence. By every worldly measure, she was an unlikely candidate for anything significant.

And that's precisely the point.

When God Chooses the Unlikely

Gabriel's greeting must have been startling: "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!"

Mary's response wasn't fear—it was confusion. The Bible tells us she was "confused and disturbed" by these words. Not by the angel's appearance, but by what he said. How could she be favored? She was just Mary from Nazareth. Nothing special. Nothing remarkable.
Haven't we all felt that way when God calls us to something? When we sense Him nudging us toward a new direction, a bold step of faith, or a difficult obedience, our first response is often, "Not me. I'm not qualified. I don't have what it takes."

But Scripture reminds us that we are God's masterpiece, created on purpose for a purpose, with things planned for us to do before we were even born. The problem isn't God's plan—it's our belief in it.

Favor for a Cause

The angel explained that Mary had found favor with God. This wasn't arbitrary favoritism. The word used here suggests favor for the sake of a cause. Mary was chosen for a specific purpose.

This echoes an earlier story in Scripture. The first person described as finding favor in God's eyes was Noah, who was called to build an ark and save humanity from destruction. Now

Mary would be called to bring forth the Savior who would rescue humanity from sin.
Both Noah and Mary were ordinary people called to extraordinary purposes. Both had to surrender their own plans and embrace God's.

The question for us becomes: What is our cause? Who has God called us to point toward Him? What unfinished work is He inviting us into?

The Impossible Assignment

Gabriel's message continued: Mary would conceive and give birth to a son who would be called Jesus, the Son of the Most High, whose kingdom would never end.

Mary must have immediately thought of the ancient prophecy from Isaiah about a virgin conceiving and bearing a son called Immanuel—God with us. And now this angel was saying that prophecy was about her.

Her practical question was honest: "How can this happen? I am a virgin."

Gabriel's answer pointed to divine power: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you."

Then he added something significant. He told Mary that her relative Elizabeth—who everyone called "the barren one," who was well past childbearing years—was now six months pregnant.

Why mention this detail? Because Mary needed encouragement. She needed to know she wasn't alone. She needed to see that God was already doing the impossible.

The Power of Encouragement

Within days, Mary traveled to visit Elizabeth. She wasn't showing yet—she'd just received the news. She was scared, confused, and needed someone who would understand.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, her baby leaped in her womb, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Her words to Mary were powerful: "God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me?"

Elizabeth echoed Gabriel's message: You are favored. You are chosen. You are blessed.
Sometimes we need to hear truth multiple times before we believe it. God is patient with our doubts, graciously sending confirmation through others who speak His truth into our lives.

Elizabeth's final words to Mary are crucial: "You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said."

Mary believed. And in her belief, she surrendered.

A Lifestyle, Not a Moment

Mary's response has echoed through two thousand years: "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true."

This wasn't just a momentary decision. Mary was committing to a lifestyle of surrender. She would face gossip, suspicion, and social stigma. She would watch her son be misunderstood, rejected, and ultimately crucified. Surrender wasn't a single moment for Mary—it was moments all the time.

The same is true for us. Surrender isn't a one-time transaction but an ongoing posture. It's waking up each day and saying, "God, Your will, not mine."

We all have something to surrender. Maybe it's a relationship we're trying to control. A career decision we're wrestling with. A child's future we're anxious about. A habit we're clinging to. A dream we need to release. A lifestyle of generosity we're resisting.

The most common unspoken prayer might be: "Lord, change Your will to match mine." But that's not surrender. That's negotiation.

True surrender says, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything You have planned for me come true."

Your Nazareth Moment

Perhaps you feel like you're from Nazareth—small, overlooked, insignificant. Maybe your past is broken, your credentials lacking, your confidence shaken.
Here's the beautiful truth: You're exactly who God can use for your circumstances and situation.

Life isn't measured by time—it's measured in moments. And this could be your moment to surrender, to let go, to trust that the God who chose a teenage girl from nowhere to change the world forever might just have something significant planned for you too.
What needs to be surrendered today? The invitation stands: Let go, and discover that surrender isn't defeat—it's the doorway to the extraordinary life God has designed for you.