Letting Go and Letting God
I will never forget when my family and I went on this one camping trip. We had a golden retriever named Ginger. My dad handed my eight-year-old sister the dog leash and gave her the instructions, ‘don’t let go.’ I was standing next to her and a squirrel ran across the parking lot up a tree. You can only imagine what happened next. The dog chased the squirrel, the only problem was my sister was holding on to the leash.
My sister was then drug across the gravel parking lot holding onto the leash. I yelled, “Let go! Let go of the leash!” I couldn’t believe it. If a dog who weighed as much as me ran across a gravel parking lot, I would have let go of the leash. But for some reason my sister held on and endured scrapes and injuries from the gravel as a result of holding on.
This picture of my sister holding onto the leash shows me this is what a lot of us do in life when we are going through hard times. We think we have to hold on so tightly to what God is allowing in our lives, and just take the injuries along the way. In reality we have a choice to let go of what we’re holding onto so tightly and allow God to handle it or keep holding onto it and endure more suffering.
Recently, I was in a group discussion about what it means to “Let God and Let God.” This phrase is used all the time but what does it really mean to be able to accomplish the task of letting go and letting God?
According to Psychology Today, Letting go means, being willing to allow life to carry you to a new place, even a deeper more true rendition of self. Holding on means trying to push life into the place of your making or be damned
In our group discussion we determined letting go meant, trusting in God that things will get better, to accept the things we cannot change and having the courage the courage to change the things we can.
Letting go doesn’t mean keep holding on and hoping for the best.
Letting go doesn’t mean keep walking around your problems hoping God does his part.
Letting go doesn’t mean sit back and wait for God to do all the work.
Which part do you struggle with, the letting go or the letting God part?
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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28 NIV
Letting go might feel like you are walking away and don’t care, but in reality it’s the exact opposite. Letting go allows God to do his job of what he was intended to do in the first place. When we hold on, we just get in the way.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV
Letting go might mean to let go of expectations or resentment. Letting go may even mean one needs to forgive to be able to let go of un-forgiveness. We may even have to let go of the outcome.
One group of people who learned the epitome of letting go, were the Israelites. They had expectations God was going to deliver them from Egypt into The Promised Land. God is a God who ALWAYS keeps His promises we just might not agree with His timing. God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt but not immediately into The Promised Land.
“Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink” (Numbers 20:11).
At this point the Israelites had been wandering around the wilderness for 38 years. Over the years God had provided food, protection, etc. for them time and time again. This time they were groaning for water complaining they were surely going to die if they didn’t receive it.
Moses and Aaron went before God with their request. God instructed Moses to take the staff and TELL the rock to yield water.
As you can see in the above verse, this is not what happened. Instead Moses took the staff and struck the rock twice. Although there is only a slight difference in what God told Moses to do and what he actually did, this caused a BIG difference in the outcome.
I can relate to Moses.
Maybe he was frustrated the wandering was taking so long. Maybe he couldn’t handle the Israelites complaining anymore. Or maybe he held onto pride, let it get in the way and wanted to deliver the water the way he wanted instead of how God intended.
Whatever the reason, we can see God honors our obedience. God says to them, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Numbers 20:12). Ouch. That consequence had to hurt.
Because Moses wasn’t able to let go of frustration, resentment, pride and/or expectations, he acted out because of it and received a heavy consequence. When we hold on to what God is asking us to let go of we aren’t trusting He is able.
Letting go will never pull us into a direction that will intentionally hurt us. Letting go will allow room for God’s original plan in our lives to fill us with His joy, peace and freedom.
What does letting go and letting God mean to you?
Do you struggle with letting go and letting God?
What has God asked you to let go of?
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