Letting Things Go
Today is the first day of fall. Here in western Kentucky it certainly feels like it. All of a sudden the temperature has dropped significantly, the wind is blowing, and the leaves are falling. I am so thankful to live in an area that has four distinct seasons and I always look forward to the arrival of autumn.
In recent days I have seen a familiar meme reappear on social media. It says “The trees are about to remind us how lovely it is to let things go.” I think there is something powerful to this quote. In each of our lives there are things we need to let go of. Things that hold us back and keep us from experiencing the joy and abundant life God intends for us. As I look at my own life I see a number of things I need to let go of. Let me mention just a few…
First, I need to let go of anger. We live in very divisive time. It seems like just about everyone is angry at someone or some group. Unfortunately, I find myself feeling this anger periodically as well. Anger is one of the Seven Deadly Sins and for good reason. It can kill the soul and relationships quicker than anything. The Bible speaks to us of the dangers of anger. At one point the apostle Paul warned, “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” (Ephesians 4:26) What did Paul mean by this? He meant we should not hold on to our anger, that we should let it go. There will be little joy and peace in our lives as long as we remain angry. If there is anger in your life, it is time to let it go.
Second, I need to let go of my pride. The pride which is a sin causes people to think that the world revolves around them. They tend to think too much of themselves and not enough about others. Here, too, I am guilty. I do not always give others the love and attention I should. My foolish pride gets in the way. The fact that pride is also one of the Seven Deadly Sins leads me to believe that this is a common struggle. I know my life would be richer and more meaningful if I could learn to let go of my selfish pride.
Third, I need to let go of regret. In life all of us make mistakes. We all do things we shouldn’t and many people go on to live their life with the heavy burden of regret or remorse. Even years after we’ve messed up we still beat ourselves up over our failures. I admit that I struggle with this. Although we should always learn from our past mistakes, we should not hold on to them. God doesn’t want us to. The Scriptures make it clear that God forgives us and that we are to forgive ourselves as well. The simple truth is that the past can’t be changed. It does us no good to hold on to it. When it comes to our regrets, now would be a good time to let them go.
I could go on listing things I need to let go of. My tree has many leaves that need to fall. I share my truncated list just to get me (and hopefully you) thinking about the things that need to be let go. As you see the trees shedding their leaves this fall let them remind you of the things you need to let go of. Autumn teaches us that we’re not intended to carry all that weight. It truly is a lovely thing to let things go that are dragging us down. I hope you have a wonderful fall. Blessings!
Chuck