letting go
| My Lenten assignment was late this year. I wasn’t really listening for instructions; I was afraid to hear about giving up something else. Which I could hardly bear to consider. Give us the bread we need for today. Matthew 6:11 (CEB) So it wasn’t until Sunday night that it came to me. When my guard was down. I was relaxed, throwing darts in the garage, listening to music. And suddenly I knew. I was being called to learn to let go. This would be no easy task. But I glimpsed a freedom on the other side. There is so much to let go. The list lengthens as the truth sinks in. Hopes, dreams, plans that left no room for God to direct. Relationships that had been important, but people needed to move on. Being right. Justifying myself. Logical fears that had become irrational anxieties. Injuries and finances. Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you, just as we also forgive those who have wronged us. Mt. 6:12 (CEB) This morning, it was like I had never read these words before. I was feeling wronged, and it wasn’t all in my head. But the issue wasn’t whether I was right or how things should have been done differently or my hurt feelings or justification. The difficult call was to forgiveness. There has been much written about forgiveness, and I am no expert. What this means for you at any given time might look quite different than what it means for me. Like letting go, I suspect it is a process. A journey. Now also a part of my Lent. Hold on, hold on Now let go Just when we think we’ve learned it There’s another step to know Jim Croegaert’s song reminds me that the dance goes on. May your Lent be full of learning and blessing on this journey toward freedom. -Renée |