The Rhythm of “Letting Go” . . .

Your arduous day is finally over.  The sun’s last rays have diminished behind the horizon.  The doors are locked and you head to the bedroom. Wiped out – you collapse into bed and turn out the light.  Your thoughts race at lightning speed as they rehearse and nurse the hours and days that have past.  You’ve tried everything to resolve the situation – to fix it – to make it happen!  It remains stagnant, unchanging.  You feel defeated – it’s over – even though you’ve searched for just one glimmer of hope. 

How could something that seemed so right go so wrong so fast? What happened?  You ask yourself if you’ve been duped or heard mixed messages.   You feel alone as you question yourself.  The notes you’ve taken while hearing your pastor expound his message week after week have left you empty – his five points, three keys, and four steps for successful living don’t in any way resemble what you’re now experiencing.  Your reasoning and confusion become suffocated by the torment of insomnia.  The night is long and you cry out, “Lord, where are You?  Please help me!  What is going on?”

Sound familiar?  Welcome to the family.  We’ve all been there – or may currently be there.  We’ve seen this movie before.  Perhaps there’s a pattern here?  We know we’re past playing the victim card and we must dismiss the blame game. We’ve seen our resiliency in the past.  How much is enough for us?  What are we holding onto and why?  Why is it so difficult to let go this time? 

Ultimately, it boils down to a faith crises!  Our apparent affliction becomes our cocoon.  When we surrender what we’re trying to control, we take a step of faith – a growth process. Trying to pry free from the cocoon of struggle before we’ve dealt with our need to control will inevitably leave us without a complete metamorphosis/transformation – trusting Him.

When we recognize that we want to have power or influence over an issue, we then must decide if we really want to let go — the valley of decision.  Perhaps, we want to protect our anger, guard our disappointment, and defend our pain because we feel unprepared and ill- equipped  to deal with what this would mean.  As Dr. Phil often says, “How’s that working for you?”                           

Before we are able to let go, isolation or getting alone with the Lord is necessary, just like the caterpillar does before she births the next phase  of her life – her adult age. God designed her destiny to climb and soar, not to crawl or slither. Without the struggle, she won’t reach maturity – she won’t fly.  Some caterpillars take as little as a few weeks in the cocoon, others take months.   How long is enough for you? 

When we humble ourselves and let go . . . God grabs!  

Casting all our care on Him to resolve because He cares for us – I Peter 5:7.               

                               The old proverb will ring true and set us free when we do . . .

 “Just when the caterpillar thought her life was over, she became a beautiful butterfly.”