Sitting across from my friend, I was thankful for the respite we had taken together. The break was long overdue. I confess, taking a break is not something I know how to do well. I forget that to relax is a lot like making the effort breathe deep. This exercise of inhaling and exhaling can often symbolize the art of letting go and that is an art I have not fully mastered.
When we think that in the holding on tightly, we are actually controlling and the planning our lives, that we are the captain of the ship we row, we are deceived and often shipwrecked as storms rock our boats. However, when I let Christ navigate, lead, and guide, the journey is much more pleasant. But to let Him lead, I need to release the wheel that steers the boat. Releasing that grip is always a scary thing to do.
Something about saying, “I am not so good at that..” is enough to let the door open in my tender places. I think that is why sitting across the table brought such a relief. I found the change of scenery a refreshing dose of reality. Talking real and even making fun of ourselves let me withdraw from the tension of the unsolved problems and the mundane everyday to be something besides the roles we wear.
The many hats we wear make it hard to let go of those things that are not ours to hold on to, but God asks us to trust and have faith. He asks us to Release what we hold dear so that He may fill our hands with more of Him.
Instead of heaping grace upon grace we are building ships without rudders, deconstructing the solid foundations that keep us afloat. We pay too much attention to all the ‘things’ that replace the One voice that always whispers love and hope. Yet when we choose brave, we find that we can let go of the burden and become strong in Christ.
Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. – Psalm 55:22
Sometimes, we NEED to see that we are not the only people who struggle with the art of releasing those things we are holding onto. There is beauty in simply letting go. Realizing that the mundane affords grace for us to learn the power of the inhale and the exhale so we can sail even rough waters safely multiplies the simplicity that deep faith requires. How good it is to let God be the lifeboat we trust, because even when the waves roar and foam, He is speaking peace to the heart that is looking for a rescue.
When redeeming words are whispered low, God is in the midst of them.
For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life and the spirit, and of the joints and marrow, exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12
Words with friends often bring up topics that we need to lay on the tables of our lives and let sift and settle through the corporate reflection that fellowship brings. As we discussed the power of words that day, we shared the sacred whispers that were laid upon our hearts with the New Year’s arrival. We talked especially about how words are being fitted into our plans, the words God has whispered close to our hearts. And we learned to let go, and lean in for more of the grace the sharing affords.
Somehow saying them out loud, revealing them, makes them ever more real, and I wanted to hold mine in a little. I wanted to hold back because the word I know I heard and the words I had littered in my journal as possible contenders were not the same. And I confessed my confusion, my hesitancy, my wonder at what it would hold, because change would come and there would be no turning back.
Reluctantly sharing this word for my 2016 meant that this issue was settled and I was committed to the message it had for my days. I still wasn’t sure I was ready for what that would look like. But isn’t that how it is supposed to be with God?
To let go of this world… to release everything… and to clutch onto Christ is the pattern of the Cross-Walk-Life.
Truthfully, I am limited in my own ability to walk out this destiny He calls me to. I tend to give Him those hard things and then turn around and take them back way too often. But that is not His best for us, is it?
This call to release, is not about me, though I will benefit from the exercise of giving up, letting go, and having open hands before the Lord, to what He has to give… to what He has planned…to what He has to redeem.
- When we release our hold on the temporal, we are open to receive the eternal.
- When we realize that the let go is about gospel living and loving and serving, then we fall in to grace and we gain so much more.
- When we ransom the little we have for the treasure of heaven, we are changed from glory to glory.
Because His plans are good…they are hope-filled, they have purpose.
Because He is trustworthy and faithful… His ways are higher, His thoughts are loftier.
Because His will is what is best… it has exponential capacity.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit rectifies our inadequacy by exposing our frail limitations and filling us with His unending, complete and eternal ability. In this, and only this, can His Kingdom come into the very center of our lives, filling us with the power to be walk out brave in the midst of our faith journey.
When walking by faith becomes our sight, we release our hold on everything except God.
2016 has already been a year where we have had to release pieces of our heart. I didn’t realize how deep the letting go would be. But with loss there is always a reaping. With sowing, there is always a harvest. I am learning the art of the let go as I Release my faith, in order to receive His grace, and friends I am learning the beauty of brave honesty when I admit I am unsure and unsteady with the unclasped hand. But I know that there is another hand offered to lift me up, and I am ready to take that step, I’d love to have you join me for the journey. What do you need to release in faith today?
Do you choose a word for the year? If so, please share it in the comment section below.
Praying for his faithfulness to meet you right where you are and fill you body, soul and spirit, with the fullness of His presence and the grace that will allow not just a release from your hands of all that is holding you back but a release of more and more of Him in your 2016.
And the very God of peace, sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calls you, who also will do it. ~1Thes 5:23-24
Joining with friends for the journey:
Three Word Wednesday,Coffee For Your Heart, Thought Provoking Thursdays, Live Free Thursdays, Thriving Thrusdays,Essential Thing Fridays, Grace and Truth Link Up, Faith n’ Friends Blog Hop, Missional Women, Dance with Jesus,Weekend Whisper, Give Me Grace,SITS girls, Playdates with God, #RaRaLinkUp, #TellHisStory
Beloved… For too long I was seeking/striving for love…this year I choose to believe I truly am His beloved…and that’s enough
Restore. Looking to purposefully restore relationships that have been broken but also to restore peace back into my life.
My word for 2016 is SURRENDER. So very similar to the word RELEASE. I am praying that the Lord meets you where you are at and gives you strength to hold onto this word no matter what the year may bring. Blessings to you.
Dawn, I like how you said, “When we release our hold on the temporal, we are open to receive the eternal.” #truth Blessings to you!
Thanks, Dawn, for this tender sharing of your heart and how you are grappling with release at a deeper level. I pray the Lord’s grace provides all you need and that will be able to lay back and float on the water, knowing He is supporting you.
I love how you rendered Hebrews 4:12 as a loving act of God – whispering grace into our lives. His working in our hearts through the word is a thing of beauty.
Visiting from Weekend Whispers. My word for 2016 is “Surrender” so I relate a lot to the need to let go of control and of my plans and to let God lead.
The word “steadfast” chose me this year. I believe God wants to open my eyes to His steandfast, while at the same time teaching me to remain steadfast in my faith and to persevere under trial.
Beautiful. Thank you.
I chose the word Light. 🙂