Surrender

Surrender is difficult.
I am not one to quit, to admit defeat, even in some situations where the rational thing to do is just that.
But even more than just simple giving up is giving oneself up to another. God calls for complete surrender to him, but he does not force that upon anyone. While he wants us--me--to lay everything before him and let him take control, we still have the choice, we must still make the decision to surrender. God may allow circumstances to affect me, to break me, to cause me to look toward surrender, but I still have to choose to let myself fall, or else it means nothing.

Indoor Rowing Championships - UTChattanooga

Yesterday I was, and for the time being, I am the best rower this season on Alabama Crew. In the Collegiate Men's Open 2000m and Open 500m Dash, I placed 6th/27 and 5th/12 respectively, with close to personal record times.
Having achieved this level of accomplishment, I am not without my misgivings: how do I acknowledge what I have done without either downplaying it ("Aw shucks, it was nothing") or bragging about it ("Yeah, that's right, I'm the top dog")? I want to be like Eric Liddell, who gave God the glory for his success and neither downplayed nor boasted regarding his speed and success.
I have been blessed with athletic ability, a determined and perseverant spirit, a fiancée that encourages and builds me up unceasingly, and teammates and coaches that push me to continue to improve. By myself I would not be able to achieve the same successes, because a one-man team does not truly exist.