“Surrender does not start with the posture of your body. It starts with the posture of your heart,” said LaMorris Crawford ’06/’12 M.O.L. as he opened his message in Centennial Chapel. Crawford, a former NFL Chaplain, spoke passionately about the power of surrender and how God calls each of us to lay down our insecurities, distractions and fears to follow Him more fully.
At the heart of Crawford’s message was a challenge to fully surrender to God—something he believes is foundational to living a life aligned with God’s plan. “God desires to use you. He’s longing to use you,” he said, explaining that each person in the room has a purpose that only they can fulfill. “Everything that’s going on in the earth, if it’s breaking your heart, it’s a problem God’s calling you to solve.”
Crawford reminded students that when God wants to bring something into the world, He often does so through people. He urged them to stop disqualifying themselves based on their weaknesses or insecurities. “The problem is we look in the mirror and disqualify what God wants to use,” Crawford declared. “The Bible says you were bought with a price. You don’t even belong to you.”
One of the central stories Crawford referenced was the biblical account of the rich young ruler from Mark 10. The ruler approached Jesus, eager to know how to gain eternal life. While he followed the commandments, he couldn’t surrender his wealth. “He wanted Jesus, but he loved money,” Crawford explained, highlighting the tension between outward appearances and internal struggles. “Surrender does not start with the posture of your body. It starts with the posture of your heart. This brother knelt before Jesus, but he didn’t surrender to Jesus.”
Crawford used the rich young ruler’s story to challenge students about their own attachments, urging them to consider what they might be holding on to that prevents them from fully following God. “What are you unwilling to surrender?” Crawford asked the audience. “Some of you are worshiping your intellect, your beauty, your status. But real surrender will cost you something.”
He emphasized that surrender requires letting go of control and trusting God to guide the outcome. “Surrender means to yield to the power, control, or possession of another,” Crawford said. “You are called to forego your passions, your desires, your ambitions to the cross.”
Crawford didn’t shy away from addressing cultural distractions that often lead people away from a life of surrender. He urged students to look beyond short-term gratification and to recognize that God has a greater plan for their lives. “We live in such a short-term gratified culture that we think it’s okay to be self-gratified in the church. Your gratifications will kill you,” he warned. “That’s why He calls us to surrender.”
Throughout his message, Crawford made it clear that surrender is an invitation to something bigger. By letting go of our own plans, we make space for God to work through us in ways we can’t even imagine. “God is trying to get something to you, but you have to release something to receive it,” he said, drawing a parallel to his experience working with NFL athletes. “Before a touchdown can be counted, the ball has to be released from the quarterback. You cannot receive until you release.”
As Crawford’s message reached its conclusion, he continued to emphasize that surrender is a choice each person must make, and it’s a decision that can’t be put off. “These chapels are your grace periods,” he said. “You could come in here, put your headphones on, lean back, fall asleep, do your homework… but God is calling you to something deeper. Just surrender to Jesus.”
To watch the full message, click here.
