Letting go can be one of the most difficult choices we have to make during the course of our lives. For most of us, it’s a choice we have to make on a daily basis. We have a false sense of security in our perceived control over the world around us. We fret and worry when things aren’t the way we believe they should be, and the enemy stirs up our minds and emotions, convincing us that we must find a way to “fix” things. That doesn’t meant we’re never meant to take action in our own lives, but we should realize our limitations and the futility of trying to change what isn’t ours to change. The anxiety and pain comes when our realities don’t match up to our expectations.

“Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].” Philippians 4:6-7

Consider the various circumstances where we need to choose to let go…a parent allowing their teenager to drive the car on their own, or head off to a far away college; a beloved pet who is extremely ill or elderly and has very little quality of life left, with no prospect of improvement; the unexpected loss of a loved one, or even the expected loss of a loved one; the relationship that falls apart against all logic and reason; co-workers and friends when your life takes you to a new home far away. When you think about it, all of these circumstances involve letting go of what you want (to keep your children close, to keep your pets with you, to continue relationships that are important to you, etc.), and allowing the changes to come.

Years ago, I used to have a ritual with a very dear friend of mine when we found ourselves facing something we were struggling to let go…we would get together, each with our own helium filled balloon, and we would write on a piece of paper the thing we most needed to release. It could be anything at all: a fear, a person, a job, anything. Then we would tie the piece of paper to our respective balloons and let them float away into the sky. As we would watch them slowly drift up and out of sight, we would tell each other what we wrote on our paper and why. Somehow, this was very effective. I suppose the physical act of sending the words off into the stratosphere made the letting go part easier to accept because it was a choice to send it away. (Special note for my leetle lampshade: I think we need to revive this little ritual in the very near future!)

The point is that our lives are meant to be lived in the moment. Our tendencies to cling to disappointments, hurts, unfulfilled expectations, and so on, will continue to fill our hearts with pain. Our misplaced need to be in control of our circumstances at all times, past, present, and future creates panic and anxiety that don’t belong to us. If you sit back and look at the moment in front of you right now, you realize you are already facing it. It’s doable. It’s done. That is life…you look at the moment right in front of you and do your best to do the right thing with it, and then you move on to the next moment. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? But we all know that it’s not, because we constantly have the enemy working to push our minds into moments that are either gone by, or yet to come. The thing we have to remember is that we can’t do ANYTHING with those moments because they don’t exist.

I miss my grandmother because she was one of my biggest champions. She made me laugh, she listened to me, she loved me beyond all reason, and she always made me feel special. I know that my cousins are all able to say those same things about her. I’m still trying to let go of her, because there are many days when I could use her guidance and love. I miss my mother because she loved me more than anything in the world. Even though she got lost on a dark and rocky road in life, she did her best. I can’t go back and change what was between us, and I can’t change a future that doesn’t exist with her here on earth anymore. But I’m still learning to let go of her, too. I made a mistake in judgment that drove a wedge between me and the sister I treasure, and I am struggling with that grief more than any other.

Still, as I sit here and look at the moment right in front of me, I am blessed with so much. I have a great love in my life. I have a new family that I am still getting to know, but whom I have already grown to love more than I know how to express. I have a wonderful daddy and step-dude who show me and those in my life endless love and generosity. I have a good job and work with wonderful people. I have a church family and within that, a worship choir family that means more than I can ever express in words. The list goes on and on. I am facing the moment in front of me, and am doing that to the best of my ability. As for the rest, I am still learning how to let go.

What are you holding on to that is beyond your control? If you had a balloon and a piece of paper, what would you write down and send off into the atmosphere? What are you waiting for…? LET. IT. GO.