Letting Go
“Letting go is where life begins.”
I recently had the opportunity to do a zipline and adventure course with friends. Nestled in the shade, trees were full of obstacles and ziplines. It was both exhilarating, exciting, and challenging.
As someone who loves roller coasters, I was looking forward to an adrenaline rush. I was ready for the laughs. Harnessed up and locked in, we eagerly anticipated the adventure that awaited us. Ready to climb the trees in the high heat and humidity.
It didn’t take long for us to start laughing. We weren’t just laughing, we were crying. Those deep laughs are good for your soul. Climbing up and down, working muscles we didn’t know we had. We were slipping and sliding. Making memories while taking leaps.
I was thankful for the harness set-up I had on. Because it was checked, on correctly, and tight, I wasn’t afraid of falling all the way to the ground. I felt safe jumping off of platforms. I trusted the set-up. I trusted the guides who had reviewed safety techniques with us before we set off.
Though my harness was locked in, there were moments along the adventure course when I had to let go. I had to let go of one rope to grab another. I had to move my feet over moving obstacles and off of platforms so that I could arrive at the next adventure. Though I was safe, I couldn’t help but feel butterflies in my stomach. The nerves and the adrenaline combined.
During this awesome adventure experience, I couldn’t help but think about God. Our God is God of the Impossible. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He is with us every step of the way. Even in moments in which we may be hesitant to let go.
I wasn’t afraid of falling while on the adventure course. I knew even if I slipped or fell off because my arms couldn’t hold me up anymore, I knew that I was still going to be upright. I wouldn’t flip or get stuck in a tree. Though we may have hit a few trees while trying to stop, we wouldn’t fall.
I was reminded that God sends the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and protect us along the way. Much like the climbing harness, the Holy Spirit is with us constantly as believers.
We don’t have to fear the unknown in front of us. We can let go of our past and reach ahead with joy for our future. We can rest in confident Hope that our God is working things for our good and for His Glory.
This life is going to bring with it ups and downs. We may experience ebbs and flows like trees feeling the breeze from the wind. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us to walk with us through the experiences of this life. I find comfort in the reminders that Pastor Louie Giglio recently shared in a sermon about how our mindset should never shift from the positive. That God is ABLE. No matter what the situation. No matter what the circumstance. No matter what the journey looks like.
God doesn’t want us to live in fear. He wants us to rest in the comfort that He is aware of and present with us all of the time. Whether we are zipping through trees or facing the greatest heartbreak that we have ever encountered. I don’t know about you, but I want my mindset to be focused on God as ABLE. That one day all will be restored and beautiful and perfect. Our God is a God of miracles and He is still performing them today.
We will never get less if we continue to submit to His Will and His Plan for our lives. We can let go today and trust that God will be with us, no matter what we may face. Life begins when we choose to not live in fear of the next moment ahead.
Acts 2:24-28 - NIV
But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him: “I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me in the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.
