What You Don't Surrender.

In the end what you don't surrender Well the world just strips away
                     - Bruce Springsteen

“Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.”
― Corrie ten Boom

Of all the lessons that I have learned this one may be the most life-altering:
Willingly releasing that which you hold close is so much better than having forcibly taken.

So much of what we hold on to tightest is often the most toxic to us. We desperately hold tight the destructive secrets. We wrap ourselves in cloaks of bitterness. We paint ourselves in masks of lies. 
But we come to realize quickly in this world that which we thought we had control over (because pain, lies, bitterness and secrets are just our feeble attempt to control life) is really spinning out of our control into great mayhem. 
The two quotes above are two sides of the same coin. The first recognizes the universal truth that we can never obtain control of this life because well, life happens. The first quote is cold and calloused. Its the utter hopelessness of attempting to dictate this life. 
The second quote is the gracious light that is shed on our situation. While both quotes are warnings to let go of the control the latter is one of comfort. Now it may not sound like comfort to you, dear reader, to have your controlled world taken away. But it is because its God - the gracious One - who is doing the taking away. 
The world strips away our control to destroy. It exposes us to give us shame and destroy us. But when God takes away something it is not to destroy but to heal and restore you. 
Hosea says it like this:

He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.

So what are you holding onto? What are you trying to control? What is that which burdens down your soul? Confess, release, be honest with whom you need to - perhaps its yourself.
Let me encourage you to surrender. Don't be exposed and set up to be destroyed rather release to God. With Him the injury is healed and that which is ripped apart is put back together.