Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
This year I lost two men who were spiritual fathers to me, Bob Jones and Arthur Burt. I loved both of those men dearly and it was sad to have to let them go. In this life we all need the graceful gift of good-bye.
Letting go is hard for most of us, whether it’s letting go of a loved one, a dream, an expected outcome, business, etc. Life in this world seems to take people or things from us we want to keep, and unless we learn how to let go of them in our hearts, we’ll continue to suffer from the loss.
How do you let go of things or people you don’t actually want to give up? For me, I’ve struggled a lot with letting go of people. Although, I am introvert by nature, I highly value and am committed to the people in my life, even the ones who are on the fringe are important to me.
I didn’t know it, but in my heart I was afraid of losing those people. I had to learn how to face the fear of loss and let go of people or anything else that I was holding onto out of fear.
What I learned was to pray about the relationships I lost or was afraid of losing. I would say to the Father out loud over each of them, “I let go of …” I also waited on Him to reveal anything or anyone I was not conscious of that I was holding onto out of fear. As He revealed these people or things, I responded in the most honest and sincere way I knew and then I would say to Him, “I let go of …”
As I did this I began to notice a difference in my peace of mind. The fear and feeling upset started dissipating. My vision concerning my own life and life around me broadened. The tunnel vision I was plagued with was gone.
I discovered what I thought was hurting and diminishing me was not that at all. That was a delusion. Do I absolutely need this person or thing to validate me, make me secure, happy, etc.? If the answer was yes then I believed a lie and that lie was causing me to fear.
Sure, people or things can make us happy and give us a certain level of validation, security or whatever your need may be, but they can’t be the source of it. The Lord Himself is the source. Everything and everyone is a precious resource granted to us.
I began to see the privilege God had granted me through relationships. I had been graced to journey with some awesome people for a season, but now their part in my life is over and my journey continues.
God has given us a future and hope. We are being transformed and the world around us is changing. Just because something or someone was right for you in the past doesn’t mean that is still so.
I also discovered thankfulness plays a role in letting go. One night the Lord woke me up. As I lay awake praying I had a vivid open vision. It was a sign that said, “Thank You.” The vision occurred three times.
To let go is to be thankful for the people and things that made us happy and helped us to learn, grow and become more of our true self. It’s the acceptance of everything and everyone we have been given, everything and everyone we once had in our lives, and the possibilities and hope that lie ahead.
The missionary and martyr, Jim Elliot, summed it up like this, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Corrie Ten Boom’s wisdom is so helpful. “I have held many things in my hand and I have lost them all, but whatever I have placed in God’s hand, that, I still possess.”
Many Blessings, BW