For you, Lord.

Letting go. It's a psychology buzzword (well, really, it's a phrase), but what does it really mean? I'm going to attempt to dissect it here and, of course, turn it back to God at the conclusion.

Have you ever noticed all the things that occur throughout a day that you choose not to worry/think about? Or noticed a common theme among the things you do choose to worry/think about? I think the answers to both of those questions say a lot about who we are as individuals and where our priorities stand.

For example, I'd say a majority of people do not think twice about how much fat is in the hamburger they had for lunch today. They're able to go from meal to meal without thinking or worrying about the nutrients their bodies are absorbing. In other words, they're able to let go of their body image. However, some people not only count calories and grams of protein, but they may go as far as skipping meals, eating only fat-free foods, or regurgitating their food after each meal. They put a lot of thought into each meal, and for this reason they're unable to let go of what their body absorbs. For some people counting calories is important (i.e. they are grossly obese), but for most counting calories is a sign of an obsession with one's body image and health. It's a sign that you cannot let go of the image you have in your head of how you are supposed to look.

One thing people struggle to let go of is relationships, particularly romantic ones gone astray. I learned long ago the emotional vacuum you get sucked into if you are unable to let go of an unhealthy relationship. It's hard to say goodbye. It's hard to move on. At first struggling to let go is natural; you should struggle for a little while. However, at some point, depending upon the expectations of the relationship and the amount to which you were emotionally involved, there comes a point where struggling to let go becomes an indication of loneliness and an internal emptiness that you long for someone else to fill. Your struggle to let go is no longer about someone else; it's about you and only you.

I've found that when I struggle to let go of something it's generally because I am struggling to trust God with it. I have found it exponentially easier to let go of relationships when A) I give that other person into the hands of God (or, in other words, when I trust that He will protect and continue loving that person even when I cannot) and B) I am able to confidently affirm that the Holy Spirit dwells within my heart, that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, and that the love of the Father in Heaven is more than sufficient for my emotional well-being.

Likewise, any time I have struggled with counting calories and grams of protein, or obsessed over what I was going to wear, what I was going to say, or what I was going to do...it's because I was not giving it to God. I was assuming control and responsibility over it in my life and intentionally forgetting that the Lord of my heart is sovereign over all things, not merely my life.

If you are struggling to trust God and let go of something in your life right now, I encourage you to pray over the following verses from Psalm 91:1-2.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!'"

If you know anything about the final composition of the Psalms, you know that these verses are an important transition point of the book. The redactor is transitioning from psalms of lament and anguish in the first 3 books to psalms of joy, trust, and praise for the Lord in the last 2 books. As such, the redactor and, thus, our Lord, is communicating a critical point with these verses; our Lord, our Almighty, is worthy of our trust. He is our fortress, our rock upon which we should run with our problems. He will not fail us nor will He forsake us, for while we dwell within His shelter we abide within His comforting and protective shadow.

Praise be to Him, forever and ever. Amen.