“Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Am I the only one that sometimes finds this incredibly hard?
The principal of "letting go," I have not quite mastered.
Letting go of trying to control a situation or outcome.
Letting go of worry.
Letting go of others.
Ironically, there are times in my life that I willingly give over control without a second thought. For example, riding in elevators and on airplanes. Both instances, I voluntarily place myself into an environment that I have no control over. I'm blindly trusting that the equipment and people are in tip-top working condition, there are no faults or issues and that my expected outcome will be achieved.
The fact is, both situations could go horribly wrong – yet, I still trust. I still take the ride, without having any solid facts or assurances that it really is safe. I don’t personally know the engineer that designed the plane or elevator, I don’t know the pilot, and I certainly don’t know the maintenance workers that maintain the equipment. I also don't have control- someone else does!
Still, I blindly trust. (Without a second thought!)
Why can't I do that so quickly in other areas of my life?
It has taken me YEARS to embrace letting go of my family; especially my husband and daughter. I know this might sound strange concerning my husband, but when you are a police wife, you know precisely how I feel. The stress, anxiety, and uncertainty that every day they go to work and might not return can be crippling.
After a few years of struggling, I finally concluded that this was no way to live- that all the fear and worry wouldn't change anything. Instead, I decided to embrace the belief that if God called my husband to be a police officer, then, I could trust that God would always watch over him. My husband's safety and future wasn't my responsibility and frankly wasn't in my hands in the first place!
Therefore, I replaced worry with prayer--belief-based prayer that God would send his angels to surround my husband and keep him safe. Twenty-something years later, I am still praying this prayer!
As for my child, I have to remind myself to let go of her continually. She's twenty-eight years old, with a family of her own, and should be free to live her life, make her own mistakes and God willing always be under His protection.
I know parents out there can relate- no matter how old your children are- wanting the best for them will always be our greatest desire.
This same "letting go" practice should apply in all areas of our lives- all situations and for all outcomes. We can't control the future any better than we can control the weather- so why in the world do we try so hard to manipulate the world around us?
How do we turn off this intense desire to control?
The answer…
Blind trust… in the One who made us and loves us!
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." – Philippians 4:6-7
Who better to trust than the very creator of the universe?
Who better to trust with every situation you face than the One who holds the world together with His hands?
Thankfully, God didn’t design us to “control everything” because.....
That’s His job!
When we release control, we unleash God!
Join me today in turning EVERYTHING and EVERYONE you care about over to the God of the possible!
“God grant us the serenity to accept the things that we cannot change; courage to change the things that we can; and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as we would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if we surrender to His Will; so that we may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him, forever and ever in the next. Amen.”
"O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in you."- Psalms 84:12