Many of us have a hard time letting go! Letting go of a loss, of something we worked hard for, of something we thought we deserved, or of something we were promised. We hold onto bitterness, hurt, and guilt. We hold on! Anytime our hopes and expectations are not met, we dwell on those failures and disappointments. Naturally, we like control, and, at times, we are obsessively crafting our specific ambitions. We attempt to manipulate and control life’s uncertainties. This is a problem, of course, because virtually everything (relationships, accomplishments, health, income, reputation, etc.) is vulnerable to change, and even end! In fact, the only thing that we’re promised will not change or pass away is the Word of God. As Christ says, “Heaven and Earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). The thing you are holding onto is ultimately dead! Don’t die with it and don’t let it weigh you down. Let it go! How? Well, when you are holding onto something, the only way to let it go is to hold onto something else. That something else is God! Hold onto God! Fill your hands with God so that you have no room to hold onto your disappointments. There is so much freedom in forgiving yourself and others and letting it go! I think of the story of David in 2nd Samuel. David sinned against God and had a child with Bathsheba (the wife of Uriah the Hittite). Naturally, God was angry with him and David’s child became very ill, “…David prayed to God for the baby. David fasted, went into his house, and stayed there lying on the ground all night. The elders of David’s family came to him and tried to pull him up from the ground, but he refused to get up or eat food with them. On the seventh day, the baby died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the baby was dead. They said, “Look, we tried to talk to David while the baby was alive, but he refused to listen to us. If we tell him the baby is dead, he may do something awful.” When David saw his servants whispering, he knew the baby was dead. So, he asked them, “Is the baby dead?” They answered, “Yes, he is dead.” Then David got up from the floor, washed himself, put lotions on, and changed his clothes. Then, he went into the Lord’s house to worship. After that, he went home and asked for something to eat. His servants gave him some food, and he ate. David’s servants said to him, “Why are you doing this? When the baby was still alive, you fasted and cried. Now that the baby is dead, you get up and eat food.” David said, “While the baby was still alive, I fasted, and I cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will feel sorry for me and let the baby live. But now that the baby is dead, why should I fast? I can’t bring him back to life…’” (2 Samuel 12 16:23).
How amazing is this? David sinned and put himself in a horrible situation. He prayed to God and fasted. He did everything he could, but the child died! David went in to worship the Lord! How amazing is that? David understood the concept of letting go very well. You too! Let it go! Give it to God knowing that his ways are unimaginably beyond ours, and He tirelessly works for our Salvation.