How to Get Through What You’re Going Through | Part 5 | Surrender: The Path to Peace | Chris Voigt

Surrender: The Path to Peace

How to Get Through What You're Going Through
October 10, 2021

The international sign for surrender is the raising of a white flag. Soldiers have been using white flags to indicate surrender for thousands of years. An ancient Roman historian wrote of white flags being displayed as part of the surrender at the Second Battle of Cremona in 69 AD.  Most historians believe blank banners first caught on because they were easy to recognize in the heat of battle. White cloth was common in the ancient world, so it may have just been a case of soldiers using whatever materials were available. Over the years, the white flag became a well-established symbol in Western warfare.
Wikipedia says, “The white flag is a protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and for negotiation. It also symbolizes surrender, since it is often the weaker party which requests the negotiation." Merriam Webster provides multiple definitions for surrender, including: the action of yielding one's person or giving up the possession of something especially into the power of another.

We are at the halfway point in our series, How to Get Through What You’re Going Through. We’ve been taking a look at how to navigate grief and loss in a healthy way. Because loss impacts everyone. No one is exempt.

This week marks a turning point in our series. We’ve looked at shock, sorrow, and struggle; now we turn our attention to surrender. If surrender means to yield or give up, to acknowledge our weakness or inability…then what is it I’m surrendering? To whom am I yielding? And how can this possibly be a good or healthy thing?

The path to peace is one of surrender. Let’s make the journey together.