When Robert E. Lee surrendered to U.S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse the Southern army had 200,000 well armed, well fed, well equipped soldiers. The Union army had not delivered a final fatal blow on the battlefield. Historical scholars maintain the war came to an end because the will to continue was broken. Confederate soldiers were receiving letters from home encouraging them to desert. General Lee saw a strengthening Northern army and decided there had been enough blood shed. It was time to quit.
Surrender is a difficult thing. Surrender rips the heart out of pride. Surrender acknowledges someone or something is bigger or stronger. Surrender says, “I can’t do it.” While surrender is often the logical, sensible thing to do often times pride keeps people from doing it and useless senseless carnage continues.
It is so fascinating that surrender is the key to victory in the Christian walk. We finally acknowledge we cannot be perfect. If we understand the depth of sin we own up to the cold hard truth that we cannot even go a day or an hour without sinning. At this point Jesus is eager to step in and grant us victory. He proclaims us faultless and sends the Holy Spirit into our lives and real growth finally begins.
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 27, 2000
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