Recently, I have been throwing out the phrase to many people that I talk to, “I am going to let go and let God.”
I have been pondering on what the phrase meant to me and I have determined it means a cumulation of things that this crazy, but incredible thing called life, is made of.
Letting go and letting God, is realizing that right now, at this moment, you are EXACTLY where you need to be, doing exactly what you need to do, in the path that God has created for you.
There are a couple of different things I felt this phrase could relate to:
For instance in a classroom full of 6 & 7 year-olds, you aren’t always going to get through a lesson without belly laughing, 3 kids crying, 4 putting on Band-Aids, one throwing the pencil sharpener on the floor, another spilling the coffee off your desk, and two wondering why you had to stop teaching for a second completely oblivious to all that was happening around them. This is a moment where I turn to letting go and letting God because of the absolute awe I am in due to the chaos happening around me. When I let God take the lead on this, he reminds me to smile and embrace the goofiness of it all because they are only 6 & 7.
The next thing I relate to letting go and letting God is the desire to be just like everyone else.
I feel more recently now than ever, that there is a desire or this need to be like everyone else. Do all the same cool things, wear the same cool things, and some days even think the same COOL things.
I have come to terms that those “cool” things can differ and should differ from one person to the next. Often carrying this burden to be like everyone around you, takes away the focus of the one thing in life that is cool just to you. It is the path that God created specifically and solely for you to follow.
In the moment where you feel yourself wishing to be in somebody else's shoes, think about it again. Let go and let God. Let him be the one to take control and create the pathway that you are supposed to follow in life, not the person who has all the cool stuff.
The next thing I relate this phrase to is stress. When I am feeling stressed sometimes I go down the rabbit hole of no return and ruin my own day. Those who know me well, know that I tend to be a bit of a basket case in moments.
I have been trying, not completely succeeding, but trying to “let go and let God,” in moments of stress. For example, take a deep breath and realize, the parent who has a long list of concerns for parent-teacher conferences only has 15 minutes. Don’t let those 15 minutes ruin the rest of the 23 hours and 45 minutes of your day. Instead, let go and let God. Let God guide the conversation, and be in control of the outcome.
Letting go and letting God is a moment by moment choice. Like every discipline that we come across in our lives, we must learn to surrender and just simply give it to God.
So I hope today, you take that moment and just let go and let God. Let God do his thing, take the weight off your shoulders, and take control. That way you can just simply, BE.
Lyndsey Logas, St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Orange, CA