The word surrender is often times thought of in a negative sense. For instance, on the field of battle a soldier does not want to surrender to the enemy. Surrender sometimes carries with it the connotation of weakness and shame. In the dictionary it is defined as an act of “handing over, relinquishing, abandoning, or giving up.” Though you would be hard-pressed to find this word in your Bibles, within the Christian faith surrender is a word that is often used in a positive way. As Christians, we talk of the importance of surrendering ourselves to the Lord’s care and control. A person who does that soon discovers that God knows what makes our life work so much more than we do. When you think about it, prayer is an act of surrender. When we pray we are handing over our lives with all our worries and concerns to God’s care and direction. In prayer we are relinquishing control of our lives to God. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus said, “Thy will be done.” He entrusted Himself to His Father. Jesus encouraged His disciples to never stop doing that. Therefore, surren-dering yourself to God’s care and control is not just a one-time event. In my own life, I find I need to daily surrender myself to God. I am a sin-ful person who needs to be reminded again and again that I’m not as wise and as in-control as I think I am. However, I have a Father who knows me and loves me and knows what makes my life work best. While surrender is not a natural thing to do, I have found it to be freeing. I encourage you as one “saint and sinner” to another, “Let go and let God.” As a Christian, to surrender is to win.