Beyond the Porch Swing

Part 2:  “Letting Go”

These beautiful spring mornings always trigger for me a memory.  It was late May or early June, I was probably 10 years old, and I wanted to go to vacation bible school.  (I loved VBS!) As it was prime field work season, my parents couldn’t drive me back and forth from town, so they had me hitch a ride with a friend.  In order to not inconvenience my friend’s parents, I rode my bike to the corner, to the highway, where they would pick me up. I loved those morning rides.  The air was cool, the birds were happy, and the ditch weeds were young and fragrant. It was time filled with what I now know as worship. Worship of the God who created all the simple beauty surrounding me.  At the corner, I’d dump my bike in the ditch and sit by the highway and wait for my ride. (Yes, those were simpler days!) Memories, like this one, remind me of God’s faithfulness. Even as a child, He revealed His wonder to me. His creativity showed me His power and that He cared about me.

Letting go of things we value and those we love, requires trust, which requires remembering.

Throughout the Old Testament, God repeatedly asked Israel to make piles of stones for the purpose of remembering (Genesis 31, Joshua 4, 1 Samuel 7).  Why? Because He knew how quickly people forget, get scared, and then don’t trust Him. When the next challenge presented itself, instead of focusing on their fears, they were to look at those stones and remember who God is and how He’d provided.  The stones represented promises that He kept and would keep. Remembering truth about God, enabled Israel to move forward and have victory over situations that looked humanly impossible.

Based on the Old Testament, stone pile practice, letting go requires trust that God is who He says He is, which requires we remember what He has done to prove this.

Trusting requires remembering.

In my situation, I knew I needed to trust God and remember His faithfulness with my daughter and son-in-law.  

Yes, I would have liked to help them out with my “wisdom and insight”, but it wasn’t me they needed to hear and remember.  They needed their heavenly Father. The trouble was that they were so torn up in hurt, I was scared they wouldn’t give Him a chance.  

Fear slithered into my thoughts.  What if they hardened their hearts and turned their back on God?  What if they allowed bitterness to tear apart their marriage? What if…. What if...What if?

My fear based thoughts made trusting God impossible.  I had to do some emotional “deep cleaning”. What was I believing about God? Did I believe God could handle this? Was He present?  Did He care? Is God mean? Was His love for them greater than my love for them? I knew the “right” answer to these questions, but was I believing them?  My fear proved I didn’t.

But then I remembered.

-I remembered the time when my daughter was little and God protected her and her friends from being driven over by a rollaway van.  His timing is perfect and He is in control.

-I remembered how I messed up when I butt in and tried to control how my child treated her friend.  I almost ruined that friendship. Praying and committing them to God would have been a much better choice.

-I remembered watching as the Holy Spirit called my teen to Himself and remained persistent in her life throughout college.  “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/php.1.6.niv.  He is faithful.

-I remembered God Himself is a parent and He also has a Son whom He loves.  “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:17. He identifies with me and my feelings.

-I remembered that God allowed His Son to suffer beatings. He allowed His Son to die a horrible death because He wanted a relationship with us humans, me!  “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:2-3‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/111/heb.12.2-3.niv.  He proved His love.  He is who He says He is.  How could I grow weary and lose heart? How could I not trust Him?

Even as I write this I feel my eyes fill with tears.  I’m so grateful for my Big God! He’s in charge, I am not.  He is able, I am not. And He is faithful.

Remembering how God had worked in the past, stops fear and freed me to trust Him.  Oh, fear didn’t disappear, but it became conquerable. Kind of like a bad dream. I startle awake with my heart racing, but I know the truth, it was just a dream.  Then I act on that truth by rolling over and going back to sleep.

Acting on the truth of who God is, resulted in lots of prayer.

A favorite passage of mine that I often used (and still do) as a prayer for my kids, is found in Ephesians.

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:14, 16-21‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/59/eph.3.14,16-21.esv

Letting go and trusting God is not easy.  I constantly have to fight fear, my desire to be in control, and I constantly need to evaluate whether or not I’m harboring a lie about God in the deepest part of my spirit.  Lies about God cause fear and keep me from trusting Him. If I can’t trust God, I for sure can’t give Him the things I value and those I love. Letting go and trust requires remembering who God is and what He has done.

Who or what are you needing to let go?

What are You afraid of?

Who is your God?  

Are you believing truth about God?

Is He big enough to trust?

What has God done in your life that you need to remember?

Oh Father.  When I remember everything You have done for me, I stand amazed!

Why do I doubt You?

Why in the world do I think I could possibly know more than You?

Why do I find letting go of things I value and those I love so hard?  I am so sorry!

Wake me when I’m not viewing You correctly.  When my mind isn’t filled with Your wonder, and I forget to soak in the beauty of what You have done, grab me, shake me awake so I stop and remember You.  May I not focus on problems and fear which make a mockery of Your sacrifice on the cross!

Oh Father,  thank You for Your mercy!  If I was You, I would have swiped me off the earth by now, but You don’t, You extend grace!

You give me new chances just like You bring a new sunrise each morning .  Chances to feel, hear, and smell You, just like You did when I was young on those early morning bike rides.

Help me to discipline my mind to remember You. I don’t want to waste another moment, and for sure not a whole day, wrapped in fear and control.

You are my hope!

You are my joy!

You are trustworthy!

You alone, are Savior!

Amen.