Letting Go
Thursday, January 10, 2019
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Rom. 8:28, NIV.
After our first baby died, there came times when I said to myself, "Pam, you've got to let go and move on with life." It was easier said than done. To break away from someone we have been bonded to tears apart our emotions. The greater the bond, the greater the pain.
Usually when our awareness of our loss increases, so does our pain. A cartoon showed a woman with her head and arms squeezing through the wringer of an old washing machine. Her face was full of anguish. The caption read: "The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable." It's very painful to face the full impact of our losses.
Letting go demands that we allow ourselves to feel our pain and ride out the grief. Some of my favorite sayings are "Feeling is healing" and "Birds fly, fish swim, people feel." Numbing our feelings with addictive behavior prolongs and intensifies our grief and blocks us from successfully letting go.
During the painful times of life when I am having to let go of something or someone dear to me, I've found that God is the one to run to.
God has the power to heal the pain. But He will never force us to let go of something to which we cling. Instead, He will wait compassionately for us to release our grip, open our hands, and invite Him to participate in our lives. Once we have invited Him into our lives, we have an eternal guarantee that He will be with us no matter what circumstances bring our way. And He promises to help us let go of our pain a little at a time.
One day we will be able to look back and see how God's hand has been on our lives. But not until history has run its course will we fully understand how "all things work together for good." So for now we must choose a life of faith, which means believing in advance what will make sense only in hindsight.
How do you feel about the phrase "Feeling is healing"? Why is it so hard to let go?
After our first baby died, there came times when I said to myself, "Pam, you've got to let go and move on with life." It was easier said than done. To break away from someone we have been bonded to tears apart our emotions. The greater the bond, the greater the pain.
Usually when our awareness of our loss increases, so does our pain. A cartoon showed a woman with her head and arms squeezing through the wringer of an old washing machine. Her face was full of anguish. The caption read: "The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable." It's very painful to face the full impact of our losses.
Letting go demands that we allow ourselves to feel our pain and ride out the grief. Some of my favorite sayings are "Feeling is healing" and "Birds fly, fish swim, people feel." Numbing our feelings with addictive behavior prolongs and intensifies our grief and blocks us from successfully letting go.
During the painful times of life when I am having to let go of something or someone dear to me, I've found that God is the one to run to.
God has the power to heal the pain. But He will never force us to let go of something to which we cling. Instead, He will wait compassionately for us to release our grip, open our hands, and invite Him to participate in our lives. Once we have invited Him into our lives, we have an eternal guarantee that He will be with us no matter what circumstances bring our way. And He promises to help us let go of our pain a little at a time.
One day we will be able to look back and see how God's hand has been on our lives. But not until history has run its course will we fully understand how "all things work together for good." So for now we must choose a life of faith, which means believing in advance what will make sense only in hindsight.
How do you feel about the phrase "Feeling is healing"? Why is it so hard to let go?
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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