The Art of Letting Go
There comes a point in our lives where we must learn to let go in order to move to the place where God desires for us to be, and that can be one of the hardest things to do. Many times, it is easier to hold on to that job, that relationship, that house, that car, that place, or that friend because there is comfort, familiarity, security, and stability in it. However, what if God is calling you to that point where you need to let go and you want too, but you just do not know how to? What happens then? With the help of the Holy Spirit, I have listed some practical questions and answers to help you if God is wanting you to let go.
Why am I having a hard time letting go? One reason why you are having a hard time letting go is because of fear. Fear of the uncertainty. Fear of not knowing what to expect. Fear of change. You always had the comfortability of knowing when this was going to happen or when that was going to happen. You had already established a routine so that you knew exactly what to expect. You liked the familiarity because you knew how to navigate and where to go. You always had security so you never had to worry. You enjoyed the stability because you knew that you would always have something to come back too. Letting go removes the comfortability, routine, familiarity, security, and stability. That in itself creates a lot of fear and can prevent you from moving forward.
Another reason why you have a hard time letting go is because you are holding on too tightly to what was instead of focusing on what is. Your mind is replaying all of the good moments that you had, and letting go will force you to let go of those good memories. Even if there were bad moments, the good outweighed them in your mind. You do not want to start all over again because of all the time and energy it took you to start before, and so, you rather hold on than let go.
The third reason why you have a hard time letting go is because if you do decide to move forward, chances are, you will experience loneliness. You will be by yourself which will force you to deal with your heart, your emotions, and your thoughts. It will force you to go to God, and if you do not have the best of relationship with Him, letting go will be that much harder.
Why do I feel like I am losing everything by letting go? When it feels like you are losing things and relationships that you have invested so much time and energy into, many times, it is not because of anything that you did or did not do. It is because God wants to remove the things and the people in your life that cannot go where He needs to take you. God wants to bring you into a new season, and in order for that to happen, He has to strip away the old. It is a mandatory step. What He is removing does not necessarily mean that it was unhealthy for you. It just means that you do not need it to go where He wants to take you.
What would happen if I let go? I will honestly tell you that peace and contentment will not come right away. It is going to take time. In the beginning stages, you will have moments where you are sad, where you cry, where you feel like you want to go back. If you have experienced those feelings, I am here to tell you that that is completely normal. What makes God beautiful is that He gives you the opportunity and the time to grieve, to mourn the losses in your life, and this is an important step when you are in the process of letting go. God does not rush you in this process, and little by little, He will help you let go and move forward. Eventually, you will get to a place where you will feel at peace.
How do I let go? It’s a very straightforward, simple answer. You let go by trusting God. This is the moment where your faith needs to be so much greater than your fears. Faith is what? “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” (Hebrews 11:1) So what does this mean? This means that you are not going to see the road ahead. This means that you have to give up the driver’s seat. The very act of letting go does not even put you in the passenger’s seat. It puts you all the way in the back seat where you cannot see. God designed this car setup strategically. He wants you in the back seat so that your only choice is to depend on Him to navigate as you embark on this new journey. God promised that He will always be with you (Matthew 28:20) and that He will order your footsteps (Psalm 37:23). He will be by your side and show you the exact steps to take. His angels will always protect you wherever you go (Psalm 91:11), and He will confuse anyone who tries to do harm to you (Psalm 35:4). God promises all of these things, and one thing about God is that He always keeps His promises. You need to lean on this word. It is okay to not know everything. God orchestrated your entire life even before you were born. He knows your end (when you will die) from your beginning (when you were born). So tell me, how can you not trust someone who already knows the path ahead?!
How do I have faith when fear and doubt keeps getting in the way of me letting go? Fear and doubt is a spirit placed on us by the enemy. It is a spirit meant to torment us in our minds so that we can loose focus on the plan that God has for us. Also so that we give up and eventually go back to all that we know rather than walk ahead in the unknown.
If you have trouble letting go, ask the Holy Spirit for help. The Holy Spirit lives inside of you and wants to help. You have not because you ask not (James 4:2). The next time fear and doubt grip your mind on your journey of letting go, ask the Holy Spirit to help you not be ruled by those feelings, and to help you walk with peace knowing that God will guide your every footstep. You have nothing to worry about.
Is letting go a good thing? It sure is! The reason that God is desiring you to let go is because He wants to bring new people into your life that will help you grow and become a better you. He wants to take you to new places (physically and spiritually) that you have never gone before. He wants you to experience things that you would not have experienced had you not let go. God wants to give you new ideas and new visions that could have not been given in any other season of your life. So if God is telling you to let go of your job, that relationship, that place that you lived in all of your life, that car, or whatever else it may be, it is because He wants to bless and favor you. He wants to take you higher.
In this season of letting go, forget what lies behind and look forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13)! God’s got you!!
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