Surrender All ValLimar Jansen, Frank Jansen	(Based on 2 votes)

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Lyrics

Intro
All to Jesus I surrender.
All to him I freely give.
I surrender all.
I surrender all.
I give you all.
1. No one knows the hour that Jesus will appear,
and no one can name the day.
He said tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
so don't delay. Come right away.
Refrain
Surrender all to the Lord,
or you won't see him face to face.
Surrender all to the Lord.
Do it now; don't wait another day,
don't wait another day.
2. I know he's coming back
in a cloud in mid-air.
In all his glory he'll appear.
So don't let this world deceive you:
in the air Jesus will meet you.
Don't you wait until it's too late.

Intro text by Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1855-1939. Refrain and verses text and music arrangement © 2001, Frank and ValLimar Jansen. Published by spiritandsong.com®, a division of OCP, 5536 NE Hassalo, Portland, OR 97213. All rights reserved.

Artist Reflection

The day I wrote "Surrender All," I was on campus, at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. Actually putting the song on paper came years later, collaborating with my fantastic husband and friend.

To get to the university campus I usually drove through the exquisitely beautiful Reche Canyon. I always passed a cemetery on the way. That morning was not usual and customary. Something was eating away at my very soul. The cemetery really bothered me that day. Why was I so unhappy, deep inside, at the core of my being? I had a good, full-time job. I was getting very good grades (with an overload of 19 units). My family was there for me through any of life's trials and challenges. On the outside things were looking up. Why did I feel so down on the inside?

I thought about all of my daily behavior and choices. I remember so vividly the questions that kept reverberating in my mind that morning. The questions haunted me for the remaining twenty minutes of my drive.

Do all of my choices each day lead to life or death? Is my thinking life-giving or does my thinking lead to death? Is my daily behavior life-sustaining, or will some of my behavior bring me death (death to my spirit, death to my dreams, death to my goals and visions, and even physical death)?

I had a conversation in my mind. "How can I change? Change is so difficult. Remember even Saint Paul had difficulty with change. He said that the things that he does not want to do he ends up doing, and the things he wants to do, he does not do."

"Wow! That's me, all over. How can I choose to think and do only those thoughts and actions that lead to life? How can I get rid of any thoughts and behaviors that are not life-giving and life-sustaining?" The answer to all of these questions came in the form of a song that morning: "Surrender All."

After finding a place to park, I sat for about thirty minutes writing down the lyrics and singing the melody over and over so I would not forget it. I sang the melody in my mind all day, between and even during all of my classes. I sang it on my drive home. I sang it very loudly with tear-filled eyes, as I past the cemetery. And finally, I sang it into a tape recorder when I got home.

Years later, my wonderful husband, Frank, transcribed it, cleaned it up (doctored the melody and chords), and sent it off for copyright. A few years later, renowned Los Angeles producer, Ted Perlman, heard it, loved it, and put his "hit-maker" spin on it.

The journey of this song itself, taught me that learning to surrender does not happen overnight. Bringing this song to where it is today took time and much journeying with myself and others.

Learning to surrender is a day-by-day, moment-by-moment process for all of us. The process of choosing life over death is made of moment-to-moment choices. We weigh each moment, each day, and say "yes" to life in each present moment. We strive to live consciously aware of each moment, of our breathing and our walking; of our gratitude for a sound body and a sound mind; of the gift of each day of life and of the ability to say, "yes" to this very precious, present moment.

In this way, we become "Walkers of The Way," surrendering at each step. We surrender all that we think, say, and do to God's will. Yes, we can surrender all to the Lord. But do it NOW, don’t wait another day.

- ValLimar Jansen