The Paradox of Surrender: A Dialogue on Divine Intervention and Self-Reliance
"Tell me," the Student began, settling into the worn chair across from the Teacher, "how can we reconcile two truths that seem to contradict each other so completely?" The Teacher looked up from the garden visible through the window, where rain had begun to fall. "Which truths trouble you?" "The paradox of surrender and strength," the Student replied, leaning forward. "I have heard countless testimonies—read them, witnessed them myself—of people who claim they found salvation only when they reached the absolute end of themselves. They speak of being at the end of their rope, as the saying goes. They describe a moment of complete capitulation, when they had exhausted every ounce of their own strength, hope, and willpower. And it is precisely then, they insist, that the divine intervened. The miracle arrived not when they were fighting, but when they stopped fighting." The Teacher nodded slowly, saying nothing, allowing the silence to ...
