Submission and Surrender

By: John Carrigan

Monday, September 28, 2026

"Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

Someone once said that there are two main reasons people don't believe in God:

1. They don’t know any Christians.
2. They do know some Christians.

This tragic reality was supposedly pointed out by Mahatma Gandhi, the father figure of modern India. It's said he described it like this: “I like your Christ, but I do not like all of your Christians. Many of your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Unbelievers often say they see a large gap between the character of Jesus and the behavior of His followers. But if we call ourselves a Christ follower, the world should always see Jesus in us. They should see a steady progression away from selfishness as we slowly become more like Christ. The people that know us best should see the clear evidence we've changed. But the question is: Do they?

Lately, I’ve been testing out my progression towards Christ behind the wheel of my truck. How? By praying more while I'm driving and asking God to change my behavior on the road. It is getting better, largely because I’ve learned to reframe what is happening on the highway. It's taken a while, but I've learned that yielding the right-of-way, driving slower, and not reacting to aggressive drivers isn’t a sign of weakness. They are all acts of submission that reflect God's peace within me instead of my selfish need to dominate the highway.

Forida is filled with people who need a course in driving etiquette, but it's not my job to police the highway. I have a hard enough time governing my own heart! Other people will do (and drive) as they please, but when we're following Jesus, we are able to choose how we'll respond to them.

It is easy to look like model Christians when everything is going well. But when life gets tough and trials come our way, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome our frustrations. In life, sometimes we'll be on the mountaintop, and sometimes we'll be in the valley. But a vital part of following Jesus is representing Him well in both situations!

We can't control how the world treats us, but with God's help, we have absolute control over how we'll react to it. We don't have to respond in anger, even when others do. When things aren't going our way, being impatient or frustrated won't help. Instead, we must choose to give others what Jesus gives us: peace, patience, love, and forgiveness.

Learning to be more like Jesus is how we let our light shine!