The True Art of Submission

I recently went through an experience where I had to go up a mountain blindfolded. We were put in pairs, the idea being that halfway through the journey we would swap roles and the other person would then be blindfolded. For some reason I volunteered to be blindfolded first. I had no idea where we were going, I had not seen the route before so there was a fair amount of anxiety. I think my logic was to get blindfolded first to get it out of the way rather that anticipate it for half the trip. So my partner took my hand and immediately started explaining the layout to me. She told me about the ground, the gradient, any obstacles, the textures etc. She would say things like ‘lift your foot one step up’ or ‘careful, loose gravel’ or ‘it may be slippery’. Initially I was tense and frustrated because I could not see. A few times I even stumbled or experienced shock at stepping on unrecognised terrain. During those moments I would hold on to my host even tighter. To her credit she was quick to reassure me or even apologise for a stumble even if it was a result of me not listening to her in the first place. With time I relaxed and surprisingly even started enjoying the experience of being depended on someone else. There was something about complete surrender that was surprisingly liberating. Knowing that the outcome was someone else’s responsibility allowed me to enjoy the journey. I soon found myself relaxing into the process and enjoying the moment rather than stressing about the next step or stumble. When we eventually got to the changeover point I could not believe how high up the mountain she had actually taken me. I had been so engrossed on the actual walk, feeling and experiencing every step that I had not realised how high we were climbing. By trusting her completely and allowing her to lead, we had accomplished so much. The part of the walk I had expected to enjoy, me taking the lead, turned out to be the worst part actually. I was responsible for each and every step of her walk. If she tripped or stumbled I berated myself for not having been more protective. I found myself saying things like ‘burnt grass, it will feel crunchy when you step’ or ‘it’s a narrow path, one foot in front of the other’. Having to be completely on and alert was exhausting. Like a child I kept on wondering when we would get there. I couldn’t wait for us to finish before she ended up impaled on some random branch on my watch. So it was with great relief that we got to our destination and she was still intact. That experience gave me a glimpse into how submission is actually meant to work. For it to work properly it requires total surrender and trust by one party and totally responsibility and accountability by the other party. It is about getting us both to the top of the mountain with minimal injuries. Submission is about allowing the other to lead, fully trusting their judgement and good intentions for you, so that you can enjoy the climb. What many of us lack (me especially), is the complete trust in the other’s good intentions. Truth be told many people have proved to not be worth the trust so yes some of the anxiety may be warranted. So before you go throw yourself blindfolded on someone else, realise what a big responsibility it is that you are giving them and find out if they are actually ready for it. As for me, I have learnt that I am capable of full surrender and submission. I have learnt that I am fully capable of experiencing and enjoying a process that I have no control over. I have learnt that I may even want more of such experiences in my life. (Pssst – submission is no longer the four letter word) BUT until I find that one I can completely trust to hand over the reins to though, I will work on completely surrendering to God first. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo