19.3 | The Unrecognized Grace

5. The Unrecognized Grace

In reality, almost every entrepreneur, politician, social leader, or scientist who has ever achieved true success—meaning a breakthrough that contributes something new to the world—reached that pinnacle only when they were at their wit’s end, yet refused to quit.

If you claim, "I have never submitted, I have never been out of options, and I don't need to surrender to find success," then one of two things is true:

First, it proves you have never dared to challenge the boundaries of your own capacity. You have stayed within the tiny, self-controlled radius of repetitive success. You haven't innovated; you’ve only replicated. In doing so, you have wasted your potential. What you call "success" has actually shielded you from your true limits. "Good" has become the enemy of "Great."

Or second, you are suffering from an Attribution Error. You mistake the emergence of a solution (after you’ve given your all) as the inevitable byproduct of your own willpower. This is the fallacy of "claiming credit for Heaven's work." It is like a farmer who toils all day—weeding, fertilizing, tilling, and sowing—and then convinces himself that the grain grew because of his labor. His actions only determined whether the yield was large or small; the fact that the seed grew at all was the work of the seed itself, the power of nature, the Power of God.

6. The Watershed After Giving Your All

Through the stories of Schultz and Ramsey, we see a critical watershed moment. After a person has given their all, they face two choices:

• Choice A: To Quit (The Ego decides to stop).
• Choice B: To Submit (The Ego stops making the decisions).

The difference between these two determines the fundamental divide between success and failure. To "Quit" is still the Ego judging that "this is no longer feasible." To "Submit" is to abandon the Ego’s right to judge at all.

7. The Distinction Between Destiny-Type Winners and Failures

"Destiny-type" winners aren't necessarily smarter; rather, their Egos are more porous, their faith is deeper, and their minds are more flexible. When their personal power is exhausted, they don't pessimistically choose to quit; they choose to abandon the Self.

In contrast, those who fail after giving their all are those who use their Ego to make the final decision to give up. This is the true boundary line of success!

8. Summary of the Chapter

Giving your all is about preparing the materials; being "at your wit’s end" is the moment you reach the threshold of success.

The sign that your materials are ready is when you begin to loosen the Ego. True submission is the ability to hand yourself over completely, no longer allowing the Ego to sit in the captain’s chair.

The difference between Quitting and Submitting is simple:

• One is the Ego making a decision.
• The other is the Abandonment of the Ego.

I want to conclude this chapter with a quote from an essay I once read, Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit:

"If you believe you have submitted, yet you still draft your own plans, still harbor fear, and still judge whether your surrender was 'correct'—then you are still relying on yourself.

You will only see the shadow of God’s power from a distance, but you will never walk with Him. You may attain small bits of abundance, but you will never enter the boundless wealth of His Kingdom."

Submission is the key to surrender. It is the only posture that allows you to receive the Grace of God.