Letting go is a journey that moves us away from our destination rather than drawing us closer. It looks like the areas in our life where we are lost and seeking to be found. Letting go carries us on a path that keeps us here instead of showing us “there”. It is saying “goodbye” when all we want to do is say “hello”. If we examine letting go closely, the mere idea looks nothing like drawing near. But God…
God takes what we know about letting go and turns it into His truth. His truth teaches us over and over that the challenges that tear us down need not pull us away. God’s word promises redemption in our brokenness and leads us to new life. He shows us how His love is never ending and promises this generous gift for us. God seeks to bring us closer in relationship with Him even we we pull away due to our messy choices. God is a forever God who desires nothing more than drawing us near through heart and soul connections.
John 15 tells the beautiful story of the vine and the branches. Our Father is the Master Gardener who lovingly tends His garden (people) to insure they keep bearing fruit. Sometimes the pruning hurts, but it is this process that makes us better. God makes space for us to continually draw closer to Him. In the drawing near, we enter into a union with God. Letting go makes room for God to draw close in communion with us.
We learn in John 15 the lesson of drawing near and the promise of this truth. It says…
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:5-8
When letting go feels like a withering branch, God pulls us close and tenderly prunes us with His love. If pulling away becomes our go to reaction, we lose the nourishment that the Master Gardener offers. The times that tug on us and draw us away are the times that God is working harder to draw us close.
[Tweet “When letting go is pulling us farther away, God is working harder to draw us close.”]
As I wrap up this series on letting go, God continues to teach me and clarify my understanding in this season. As much as God is teaching me through this process, I know that letting go infuses this journey we call life. It is part of our everyday and God’s way of pruning the withering parts of our soul as well as fertilizing the pieces of our heart that are broken.
I am praying for all of you today as you travel through the different seasons of your life. May you feel God’s embrace in the times of letting go and know that He promises to draw near to you as you draw near to Him. Let God’s peace fill the empty spaces created when letting go feels like loss. May you feel strength, power, wisdom and contentment in the process of making room for God to cherish and love you. Letting go is a lifelong journey with no perfect path, but one perfect God. He promises us in James 4 to draw near. May you draw near to God and let Him guide you through the rest.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8
[Tweet “Letting go is a lifelong journey with no perfect path, but one perfect God.”]
Thank you for joining me on this journey of understanding what it means to let go. If you missed any of the posts, click HERE to catch up. You all are a treasure to me. Your faithfulness and willingness to share your own journeys makes my day.
Drawing closer to God along the way!
Linking up with these beautiful ladies!
and Dawn for Grace Moments
Letting go always brings me closer to God. This has been such a great series, Mary, thanks you! Blessings!
Letting go of stuff that pulls us away from God… that’s important.
Thanks for the encouragement friend.
It’s been pretty hectic running around and staying up for long hours for the new book!
I hope you enjoyed your time with it?
Blessings to you
Congratulations on the book! What a blessing for you and all who get to read it. Thank you for stopping by to encourage me during your busy launch week.
Mary, it’s been a crazy week, and I’ll be letting go of my boys as they head back to school tomorrow. That being said, I’ve lived a year of the letting go you describe in this post. There have definitely been times I’ve felt as though I was moving further away than closer toward some of those heart desires. But, in all of the letting go of my hopes, I’m learning to trust God, and to draw near to Him in the disappointment and the learning time. It’s never a time wasted. I just need to trust Him and the plans He has for me.
This has been a beautiful, thought-provoking series. Well done, my friend!
As parents we are in a lifelong journey of letting go. But God has other times of pruning us in our path to letting go. It happens in all areas of our life and those lessons can be the most difficult. I know I am stronger when I am on this journey with others who understand. Thanks for being on this journey with me. I am blessed by your friendship and willingness to walk this out with me.
This has been a great series, Mary. It’s so reassuring that in the times when we are struggling with letting go, God is at work, wanting to draw us near and to lead us into new things.
When your name first popped up in my comments I had to remind myself that I already knew you! I am getting used to “knowing” you. I am blessed that you have joined me for this journey. Life is a series of moments of letting go and on some level I believe we all can relate. It’s not just an empty nest syndrome. I pray we both walk into the new things God has ordained for each of us.
Mary,
I love the “no perfect path, but one perfect God” tweet!! What reassurance!! I love the scripture about the vine and the branches. So many times I need to be reminded that apart from Him I can do NOTHING! (not almost all of it, 80%, or even an itty bit)…Nothing can I do on my own. Kind of humbling….thanks for the continual reminder that I need to draw near to Him.
Blessings on this journey,
Bev xx
There is no perfect path but one perfect God. Such a strong reminder that we wander and get lost but God will always find us. It is also reassuring to know that when we forget to let go even after all the reminders, God will draw close and whisper the way again. It is a humbling journey but one that is bringing us closer to God which is exactly where I want to be. Thank you for being here and joining me along the way as we let go together.
Letting go.
Makes me wonder what I’ve missed along the way because I was clinging too tightly, looking back too fondly.
Hard for us to see what wonders He’s inviting us to when we can’t peel our eyes from what was.
Thank you for your wisdom, friend …
You are so right! What have we missed because we have blinded ourselves to parts of our life that we were meant to let go to God? I pray we see God’s wonders because we release what is only meant to be ours for such a time as this. Love having your wisdom as an addition to this series on letting go. Sending you hugs!
I fear to say I’ve been trying to let go of some things for years now. I keep holding on. My identity has become so wrapped up in those things of the past, that it’s often hard to see the bright and glorious future ahead. I’ve been encouraged by your words today and smiled when I saw you had linked up. Blessings my dear friend.
Hi Barbie! It is a treat to see you dear friend here in this space. Your words of wisdom never fail to speak to me and your honesty always hits me in a place where I need a reminder of how God works uniquely in each of us. I pray that as we both turn to God to learn how to completely let go so He can draw near, we remember that we are never alone in this journey. I am blessed by you and your friendship.
Mary, Thank you for sharing this very encouraging post.
It is timely as I will soon be entering a “letting go” season. My husband and I will officially have an empty nest. The emptying of the nest will be that much harder because we enjoyed the blessing of having my daughter, son-in-law and now 17 month old granddaughter living with us for almost three years.
Thank you for reminding me that God will fill the empty places and for reminding me to let Him do just that.
You’re welcome. Since my season of letting go is always on my mind, I love sharing it with the hopes that other people will nod and say “me too” to some of what I am experiencing. The thought of an empty nest doesn’t sound too bad until you begin to face each piece of familiarity begin to change. The beauty and hope in this season is found in God. He loves to fill our empty spaces with His love and peace always reminding us we are never alone. Thank you for being here and for sharing your own experience. Blessings!
Love this post! I know that God has had to pry my grimy little fingers away from things that I didn’t want to let go of in the past. Thank you for the reminder that whenever I let go of something, He is there and He has something good in store for me. xoxo
Thank you Holly! Oh my I have grimy little fingers too that don’t know when to let go most of the time. Thankful that God is patient and willing to teach me over and over that when I let go I make space for Him to draw near. God is always faithful and even though it is a reminder I need often, God is always willing to remind me. Thanks for being here friend! Love you!
Oh wow this is so timely. When an opportunity came my way recently, I knew it was a good one but also knew the lesson I had just learned about overdoing it and also of jumping ahead of God.
“Let God’s peace fill the empty spaces created when letting go feels like loss. ”
This line really spoke to me, not only in the passed up opportunity but in a few other areas as well. Thanks for sharing!
Your neighbor today @ #TellHisStory
Thank you for sharing your own experience of letting go. Since I am going through my own season of letting go I forget that letting go looks different for all of us. You make a great point to not jump ahead of the plan that God has carefully crafted for us. His timing will always be perfect and He will walk you through the times when you have to let go of a yes and instead say no. I’m so glad you stopped by and joined in the conversation. Blessings!
Such a beautiful picture here, Mary. I love how you describe letting go in this lifelong journey as “God’s way of pruning the withering parts of our soul as well as fertilizing the pieces of our heart that are broken.” And as you say, it’s not a perfect path, but we do have a perfect God. Such comfort in these truths. Thank you. Blessings and hugs to you!
Such a pleasure to have you visiting again. God loves to work in and through us. The analogy of God as the Master Gardener is one I can wrap my brain around. He is relentless in nurturing and allowing for His garden to grow. This patience is a gift we receive at all times even when we forget to let go of what God has just pruned. I pray you are doing well. Love and hugs!
Mary,
I love how you paired letting go with how we abide in God …and this: “God’s word promises redemption in our brokenness and leads us to new life.” So grateful for his promises and his great patience 🙂 Blessings to you 🙂
Thank you Dolly for stopping by and leaving me such sweet encouragement. I believe if we don’t let go we don’t make room for God to draw close to us. Holding onto things that are not ours to keep also blocks our view from all that God has in store for us in the future. I am so thankful for the promise that God will always redeem our brokenness and love us with a patience that never ends. Blessings!
What a treasure to have a Savior who draws us close and tenderly prunes us. He’s been doing some shaping and molding in my life and I’m walking forward in faith trusting that in the end, I’ll look more like Him. Beautiful encouragement here today, Mary. Visiting you today from #testimonytuesday.
It is a treasure to be known by God. He loves to hold us close and mold us into His image. Our job is to continually let go and trust Him to make space for this to happen. I imagine your journey is one that will lead you ever closer to God. Thank you for being here and for blessing me with your wisdom.
Amen! Letting go is freedom, rather than holding on tightly that binds and tires us. Such a blessing to be called to a letting go season. Thank you for sharing your continual, inspiring journey.
Amen. It is only in the letting go that we make space for God to do the work that He desires to do in and through us. This is the process of drawing near that we need, whether we realize it or not. I pray my journey not only inspires, but looks like a striving for God in all. Blessings!
Mary, I’m coming away from your series reassured that, with God, there is no “in between time.” What feels like a howling wasteland to me is still a time in the presence of God, and He doesn’t waste a thing.
Blessings to you, friend. Can’t wait to see what that creative “teacher brain” of yours comes up with next!
God does not waste anything and that alone brings hope. He is with us in the waiting, standing still and moving forward. This is one big lesson I am taking away with me about this process of letting go.
As for my teacher brain, I might need a break soon because of the upcoming wedding. Thanks for being here and for cheering me on so well.
Great essay and series, Mary.
I am reminded of what I was told about trapeze artists. There is the flyer and the catcher, and the catcher is by far the most important of the two.
The flyer must let go at a given instant, and must NOT try to anticipate or ‘help’ the catcher. The flyer must be in a state of complete trust; else both will be injured, or worse.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2016/08/your-dying-spouse-194-assumptions.html
I love the analogy, Andrew. I’m not always good as the flyer because of the complete trust issue, but I am learning as God reassures me that He will never let me fall. I am loving having you here joining in the conversation and sharing your insight. Thank you.