THE RECORD Online

Fall 2004

The President's Column: Surrender

I returned yesterday from my annual spiritual retreat. Each year, I go away alone for three days of silence. Two friends remarked, “That must be hard…especially for you.” I wonder what they meant!? In any case, for me, and perhaps for you, life is full of “noisy” distractions from beepers, email and cell phones, that make it seem I am constantly manipulated by forces from outside. Even when the work is good; even when it is ministry, I find myself “resisting,” claiming time and resources for myself.

Hannah Whitall Smith describes this as the “Treadmill of Daily Christian Work.”

“Have you never gone to work as a slave to [your] daily task, believing it to be your duty and that therefore you must do it, but rebounding like an Indian-rubber ball back into your real interests and pleasures the moment your work was over?”

C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity talks about “How Much of Myself Must I Give?”

“Some of the things the ordinary self wanted to do turn out to be what we call “wrong”: well, we must give them up. Other things turn out to be what we call “right”: well, we shall have to do them. But we are hoping all the time that when all the demands have been met, the poor natural self will still have some chance, and some time, to get on with its own life and do what it likes.”

Lewis says one of two results is likely to follow. “Either we give up trying to be good, or else we become very unhappy indeed.” Those that continue to try to “live for others” do it in a “discontented, grumbling way—always wondering why the others do not notice it more and always making a martyr of [one]self.” Lewis concludes that this latter approach makes us a “far greater pest…than you would have been if you had remained frankly selfish.”

The answer, he suggests, is the “almost impossible thing.” The Christian way is both harder and easier.

“Christ says, ‘Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half measures are any good.'”

Hannah Smith says, “It is altogether the way we look at things, whether we think they are crosses or not.” “It is very pleasant to do the things we want to do…If our will is really set on a thing we view the obstacles…with sublime indifference, and we laugh…at the idea of any opposition…” With Lewis she concludes, “What you need to do, then dear Christian, is to put your will over completely in the hands of your Lord, surrendering to Him the entire control of it. Say, ‘Yes, Lord, YES! to everything.'” The secret is in the way He then works. Once having surrendered our entire will to His keeping, He works in it to will and to do His good pleasure! (Philippians 2:13) He not only works in us to DO His good pleasure, but wonder of wonders, also to WILL His good pleasure.

At Greenville , we talk about our mission to transform students for lives of both character and service. It's tempting to suppose that this is work we do in their lives on our own. But here, Paul reminds us that not only the work of service—DOING His good pleasure—but also even the harder work of character—WILLING His good pleasure to begin with—are both His work in us.

We have undertaken a comprehensive campaign at GC, Transforming Lives, Shaping the Future . With “surprises” from the Lord we have made remarkable progress. Our goal is only 18 months and $4 million away. As we at the college labor daily to undertake the transforming process in our students, we are personally called to undertake it daily in our own hearts. And as you who love Greenville College and our calling to students, think about your part in our ministry, and in this campaign, I challenge you to surrender. Remember, He is at work not only to DO what He calls you to do, but even to WILL in you, what He wants for you.

Last updated: April 14, 2005