Why Letting Go Is So Hard
Let Go and Let God is a phrase we often hear when we struggle with an issue in our life. It’s great advice, in fact, the best advice one can give. But the phrase easier said than done also fits here because it isn’t easy to let go. Why is that?
Letting go requires us to let go of more than just the issue at hand. Often it requires us to let go of something we hold dear - our pride.
When struggles and trials befall us, our inside gets triggered in different ways for different reasons, but they all reduce back to pride.
Take jealousy for instance. If someone we know has or experiences something we wish we could have or experience, we may feel a tinge of jealousy. Hopefully, we recognize the feeling then let it go and bring ourselves back to celebrating with the friend, because our relationship with them matters more than our tinge of jealousy. This is using our thinking with a relaxed mental attitude and virtue love.
But if a person is drenched in the mire of the mental sin of jealousy, or any of the other mental sins, the issue causes them to react from their emotions and use human viewpoint to resolve the issue. Reacting with our emotions from human viewpoint happens when we have nothing else in our soul to respond with - like Bible doctrine, or a better term, God’s principles.
Responding with emotions is a system of feeling not a system of thinking. And when issues arise, as they will, we need to respond with thinking. Specifically, God’s thinking…better known as the Mind of Christ.
Romans 12:2 Says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
That renewing comes only through the continual learning and application of Bible doctrine. Both steps are necessary. One won’t work without the other.
Responding with emotions will fail us every time, because feelings have no spiritual power or effectiveness. Emotions, both good and bad, have no virtue, no cognition, and no reasoning power. Their purpose is not to solve problems, but to provide stimulations for enjoyment of life. And when that stimulation is balanced with God’s principles, emotions work as the perfect responder to life. Not, the solver of life.
When our soul is filled with spiritual truth, we can respond with integrity and virtue to the issues that arise. Responding with spiritual truth allows us to relax and let go of the problem by giving it to God. But giving it to God, does not take away our involvement. Giving it to God simply means we seek His answer and trust His solution.
Our involvement in any issue, struggle, or trial, is to…
Acknowledge our responsibility in creating the issues due to sin (pride). If we have sinned, the answer is to confess it. (1 John 1:9)
Pray for God’s direction, discernment, and will, but know that He is dealing with YOU not the issue or the other person.
Realize that God is using the issue to reveal to you a truth, or necessary correction for your own good and growth.
Above all, respond with virtue love. Virtue love is how we let go.
God gives us opportunities daily, so we can learn and apply His principles to life experiences. And each time we respond correctly, we grow more spiritual, and our minds and thinking become more like the mind of Christ.
Where it gets hard is when we fail to use the power of the Holy Spirit for discernment and strength. Always keep in mind that the Holy Spirit’s power only works when we are in fellowship with Him, and we are only in fellowship when we have no unconfessed sins. Which is why number 1 is first on our list above.
But why bother with all that studying and applying?
Because it is the only way we can experience God’s perfect peace, joy, and happiness, and glorify God by being His salt and light in a dark world.
Isn’t that what we all want?
Cheers to letting go!
