Letting Go

Training for Today: Cross-train for 30 minutes

Devotion: Letting Go

Remember fighting over a toy with your siblings or friends? Picture the scene: two children, each with his clutches on the same toy. A tug-of-war ensues. Grips get tighter, faces get angrier, and voices get louder. Why all the fuss? Each child believes he has a right to the toy. Each child wants control. Each child wants instant gratification. As onlookers, it might be easy for us to say, “It’s not worth fighting over. Find something else to play with. Just let go.” But, do you remember how difficult it was to be the one to let go after such a battle had taken place? Somehow it feels like defeat. We’ve lost something, and our pride is crushed.


We might be tempted to think that we’re over fighting for things now that we’re adults. Ahem, I beg to differ. How would you describe your “grip” on your life and the things in it? Are you fighting with God over control?

As a person who likes to feel a sense of control, I easily fall into the trap of believing that, if I let go, somehow things will fall apart. Somehow it will be like admitting weakness. And, just like that child, I might feel like I’ve lost something and my pride would be crushed. To refocus, read with me the words of 1 Peter 5:5b-7:

“‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Can’t you feel the tension of control melting away as you read those words? Our lives truly are under God’s direction! Let go. Your child’s life was under God’s direction. Let go. God wants to take on your anxieties. Let go. God wants to reveal His plan for you when the timing is right. Let go. Through Christ, your future has been won for you; your sins, failures, and shortcomings are now replaced with the perfection of Christ. Let go!

Prayer
Dear Lord God, forgive me for thinking that I can somehow take control over your will. My times truly are in your hands. Open my heart and my hands; loosen my grip on the things of this world. I trust your timing. Amen.