WHY CAN'T I
LET GO?
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Have you ever heard or thought the question: “Is there a forever?” It is a question asked regularly by us all, everywhere, young and old, either seriously or as a joke.
The question springs from the realisation that everything in this world is temporary. Everything we have has an end. When things have served their usefulness, we need to let go of them. We need to let go of old technology, old clothes, old books, shoes and much more. Sometimes it is difficult for us to let go of things that have a sentimental value in our lives. It is difficult to let go of things we are attached to.
But letting go has also something to do with hurts and pains. As we journey in life we encounter getting hurt. It is like walking in a forest or on a beach and then getting hurt by stepping on a broken shell, or being scratched by a thorn.
If we allow that hurt to stay in us, it will hurt us more. The same is true with emotional hurts. The more we nurture the hurt within us, the more we are physically and mentally affected. We get cranky, easily angry, sad and even wanting revenge, which does not do us any good.
Reflection
Separation or detachment is a fact of life. When we have gotten used to the presence of people who care for us and love us, we want this to last forever. And when we love and care for people, we want to see them grow and develop to their full potential, for their joy is ours as well. But attachments are not meant to be eternal on this earth. Experience shows that there is a time for detaching ourselves even from the most loving person in our lives. And this is a painful experience.
When we were separated from our mother’s womb, it was bloody. But she tolerated her birth pains for us to live. This is the physical side of letting go. Then our parents have to let go of us for school. Sometimes we get more attached to friends we meet in school than to our own siblings at home. Then as we get older and start working, our parents have to let go of us and vice versa. And the cycle goes on. So we have no other choice but to learn how to let go. Bible verses can help to comfort us in times of loss. Examples of these are:
“Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
The psalmist says, “Then I called on the name of the Lord, ‘O Lord, I pray, save my life’” (Psalm 116:4).
What the Bible says...
There is this story about a young man Joseph who was sold by his brothers. (Genesis 37). Of course he must have been angry about the situation because he was separated from his father who loved him so much. He suffered even more hurt when he was sold again to an official of the Pharaoh (Genesis 39), but eventually he became the man appointed to take charge of the whole of Egypt (Genesis 41:41).
When he finally came face to face with his brothers – who did not recognise him – he controlled himself from revealing who he was. At last, he forgave them and even rewarded them with the right to stay in Egypt with their father. In other words, he found a way to let go of his bitter past and be reunited with his family.
Forgiveness is letting go of what has been hurtful in the past, so do not punish yourself by carrying your pains throughout your life.
The same is true with separation from a loved one. It could be through death or abandonment; whatever the loss may be, the pain is immense. It can leave you grieving for a long time, and can be extremely difficult to move on from.
Our lives are a gift from God. And we are made in God’s image and likeness which means we have beauty, wisdom, compassion, the will to be good, to be courageous, to make decisions and act on them.
Our lives are meant to be productive, beautiful, joyful and meaningful. But this cannot happen if we do not let go of pains and hurts that come our way.
A prayer for inner peace
Lord, I am facing a very hurting situation right now. It is too painful. I come to you, Jesus, because you too experienced pain and much suffering in your life here on earth.
But you did not give up. You went on with what you were supposed to do. It is hard for me to move on. My whole being is affected. Please Lord, help me to move on. Help me to let go. Help me to use the gifts that were given to me by the Father when I was born so that I can come out of the pit I am in. On my own I will not be able to handle this, but with you I know I will succeed. Thank you Jesus, thank you.
Amen
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Identity:Identified contains 24 inserts and highlighting of key passages within the New Testament that are designed to help teenagers navigate life’s challenges with ways to identify why God created each one of us in the unique way He did.
This book also has a number of QR codes that link to a series of special videos that have numerous people sharing their stories and how they cope with life.
This is the perfect tool to help the younger generation in your life to follow Jesus as they navigate the challenges of life and trust him as a true friend and companion.
