Surrender

DEL WANTLAND was a rifleman with the 1st Cavalry Division patrolling through dense jungle near An Lao. He was the third man from the front of the column when his unit was suddenly ambushed. The point man and the second in line were killed instantly by the withering cross fire. Just as suddenly, Wantland was knocked unconscious by a bullet that shattered his collarbone and ripped through his spine. He regained consciousness a week later in a field hospital to find himself paralyzed from the neck down. He would be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life.

Wantland did his best to return to a normal life after his medical treatment and rehabilitation. His goal was to go to college and pursue a career, but, unfortunately, an untimely divorce ruined his plans, leaving him to a lonely struggle. As he forgot about his goals, his life spiraled downward into alcoholism and abuse of other drugs. When he truly hit bottom and thought he might be losing his mind, he finally turned in a new direction— toward home. He returned to a Spirit-filled mother who helped him change his life. A fellow veteran and friend told the story:

She listened quietly without judgment and then helped him understand that God loved him no matter what he had done. In fact, that was why Jesus, God’s perfect Son, willingly suffered a cruel death by crucifixion.

Military men are trained to never surrender. The entire concept is especially hard for veterans. But as Del listened to his mother go through the Bible passages describing how one’s life gets redeemed, he knew that he had to do just that—surrender to God and trust him totally. He confessed that he had messed up his life, and surrendered, making Jesus Christ his Lord and Savior.

The unwillingness to surrender is not just a military trait. Most men are driven by a primal need to stand on their own, to be “masters of their fate.” We take care of our own problems. We don’t ask for directions or seek help from others. Unfortunately, too many of us have to hit bottom before we look up. It takes us too long to learn that this is something we can do before a crisis gets out of hand. When we do look up, we find Jesus waiting. He is waiting for us to finally surrender ourselves to him, so he can become the Master of our fate and the Author of a new life in him.