We all know the feeling. A missed appointment. A sudden change of plans. A wrench thrown into the day you had carefully designed. And then there are the big ones— the failures, the illnesses, the heartbreaks, the sudden losses that leave us breathless, staring at a future we didn’t choose. These are moments when life wrests the steering wheel from our hands. Moments when control slips through our fingers— and the question arises: Can we allow ourselves to be out of control? The alternative is seductive: make a god of safety and security. Try to shrink life down to a manageable size. But the smaller we make life, the smaller we become. Psychologically, it’s the tightening spiral of anxiety— compulsions to manage, contain, perfect. Politically, it’s the collective fantasy of the “strong leader” who promises safety in exchange for our freedom. Spiritually, it’s idolatry—worshiping control instead of Life itself. But there’s another way. To surrender to what is beyond our control. To trust the current. To let ourselves be swept along by the tide of fortune or fate. Because here’s the quiet truth: when the wave finally deposits us on the shore, we often find ourselves in a new land— one we never would have chosen, but one that is mysteriously right. As Sufi poet, Hafiz, put it: “Wherever you stand, be the soul of that place. The place where you are right now, God circled on a map for you.” Surrender, then, is not defeat. It’s participation. It’s saying “yes” to the deeper flow of Life that wants to move through you and shape you into something new. Take a deep breath. Let go. You are being carried somewhere sacred.