Inspiration:
If you will look to Me for the love and assurance you need, and if you will learn to trust Me to work in the lives of others, I will free you from the temptation to manipulate them. Only I can free you to love them without expectation, and I will add power to your prayers for them.
~In the Presence of Jesus by Paul Bane and Matt Litton
Scripture:
God wanted them to look for him and perhaps search all around for him and find him, though he is not far from any of us:
~Acts 17:21
Letting go is the ability to accept the things we have no control over. Acceptance is seeing “the what is” of our life experiences. It is a contemplative journey of viewing the “good, the bad, and the ugly,” where, in the light of God’s grace, I find the courage to be honest about what I can change and not change. (Accepting Life as it is (rather than how you would like it to be.)
The irrevocable losses of a loved one strike at the very core of our being, and multiple smaller losses cause bitterness. There is a discomforting flow to life we all experience, and like a river, we can find ourselves trying to swim against the current of what is happening. When we recognize we are powerless to control things, we can learn to be kind and gentle with ourselves instead of resisting and running from our hurt and pain. (May Your Losses Gently Guide You)
Acceptance means if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it’s a duck. No matter how much we don’t like ducks, it is still a duck. When a loved one continues to drink or is abusive, the aha moment is, “Wow,” they may never change their behavior. I don’t have to like it, but I can release them into God’s loving arms, and I no longer continue to fight and try and use my control tactics to change their behavior.
We must understand that acceptance is a form of clearly seeing the problem so we can view what is happening for what it really is. It can bring a sense of great relief, handing over our need to control to the one who can carry the heaviest loads in our lives. Release it and find new freedom and hope for living today. And special prayers for those who need to make the decision to take a break or remove themselves from an intolerable situation.
