As we prepare to leave for Indonesia this summer, one of the most difficult things we are experiencing is letting go. We are currently in the process of getting rid of most everything we own, and that means letting go of some things that have been with us for decades. We’ve also begun the process of “letting go” of ties we have with dear friends and family who we are used to seeing on a regular basis. Our relatively stable family life is something else we’re preparing to let go of. Through all of this, God is answering our prayers to become more dependent on Him and He has been teaching us some valuable lessons.
Probably the most valuable lesson has to do with letting go in a way we hadn’t really expected. Over the last two weeks we’ve had to face some very challenging issues dealing with our oldest daughter’s upcoming marriage. The subjects were challenging to us because we hadn’t realized the extent we needed to let go of our daughter so that she could become one with her future husband. Sure, we knew that she didn’t need us to parent her as we had during her upbringing, but I suppose we both had this unrealistic hope that our influence would still ring loudest in her life. Well, we just learned that that isn’t necessarily the case anymore. And while we were no doubt slow in our recognition of this fact, it is something we are very much aware of now. We have had to let go of our concern for her that we once clung to so strongly and let her, and her future husband, begin to exercise their own discernment, decision making and responsibility. As we hesitantly allowed the Lord to pry open our grip on our daughter, we again began to see the blessing that always seems to accompany being obedient to Him.
Letting go is not a new lesson for us. We have learned the blessing of trusting Him. So it is interesting that each new experience in our faith walks still catches us somewhat by surprise. He has to remind us to trust that our lives will continue, and even improve, as we exercise the faith required in following the path which is causing us to let go in the first place. If you are anything like we are, that can be pretty challenging. Any call by Him to let something go, whether it be a daily routine, a favorite piece of furniture, your comfort zone, or maybe your child, requires faith in Him and His plan. This is where the opportunity to grow in dependence presents itself… and this where His reward is realized. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” I don’t know about you, but “lacking nothing” sounds very good to me.
We certainly weren’t excited to go through the emotional strain that we experienced in the last few weeks, especially when that was on top of an already very busy period of transition, but we have been longing to grow in our dependence on God. Have you ever recognized that there is little need to depend on someone or something else when things are rosy? God permits us to experience trials so we have opportunities to test our faith, persevere, grow and then taste His sweet reward. We are so excited for our daughter, her fiancé, and the covenant they are about to enter into. We are excited for the reward that awaits us all as we gain a new son! And as we leave our way of life here in the US. But it recently became obvious that the blessings in all these things starts with embracing the challenge associate with letting go.
Larsons' Light 