Just Let Go

It’s easier said than done, isn’t it? We hear it all the time: “Just let go.” There’s something comforting in holding on that makes it difficult to just let go. Sometimes holding on can get in the way of God trying to fix something in your life.

I remember hearing a story about a little girl who was given a plastic doll. She played with it day and night. Eventually, one of the arms broke off. She promptly went to her dad and asked him to fix it. The dad was glad to do it, but the little girl didn’t want to let go of the doll. She wanted to keep holding it. Well, that prevented the dad from fixing it.

It didn’t take long for the other arm to break off. The little girl again went to her dad, but she still wouldn’t let go of the doll. The dad so wanted to fix the doll for his daughter but because she wouldn’t let go, he was prevented from fixing it.

Eventually, both of the legs popped off, and by this time the little girl was getting desperate. Out of her desperation, she finally mustered up all the strength of her will and, letting go of the doll, she handed it over to her father. Within minutes, the dad had the doll reassembled and as good as new.

Does this sound familiar? Maybe it isn’t a doll that you are holding onto - it’s much more serious than that. Like the little girl, we have to learn to trust God, our Heavenly Father, to fix the things in our life. Instead of handing them over to God, we hold onto our problems and wonder why they just get worse. We refuse to let go and we hold on. We fret and worry and try solving them without the help of our Heavenly Father. We are a lot like the little girl. We often wait until things get so desperate before we finally turn to God and release everything into his care.

The Bible tells us to “just let go.” It says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I know … it’s hard to trust these words and really hard to let go. However, to hold onto our problems and not trust God with them is to eliminate the very one (God) who has the power to fix things.

Now, to let go is not to be taken with an attitude of irresponsibility. We may have created the problem, and God may determine that the best way for us to learn is to endure the consequences of our actions. But even in that, God desires to walk with us through our troubles and give us the strength to persevere. What are you holding onto? Just let go.

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