How to Let Go?

I recall hearing, “Let go and let God!” as a solution to any obstacle or problem I was facing. My internal response contributed to my external reaction of distorting my face with the expression of, but how? I was so tired of people giving ambiguous advice. I was well aware that the relationship I was in was no good for me, but letting go was not as easy as people loosely claimed. No one talked about the process behind letting go. Frustration consumed me like a fire burning away at anything in its path. First, I did not know how I got to this point, and I did not know how to get out! I was so good at telling other people what their challenges were, but it seemed as if I could not get to the root of my own. However, I knew that one of them was lacking the willpower to let go.

My mindset this year has drastically changed. In February, I wrote a blog asking God what was next in my life. The answer I received was silence. In the past, I equated silence to the lack of God’s presence. Now I understand that God was silent because I was not ready to know logistics of that magnitude yet. The fear still marinating in my heart would have brought doubt, procrastination, and worry. Instead, God spoke to me in other areas of my life. Specifically teaching me how to let go of everything that I have allowed to hold me back. Initially, I thought letting go of a relationship was the major sacrifice, and it took a while to make that reluctant decision. Yet, that was only the beginning of this journey; it was the spark to a flame of a lifetime of surrendering.

I must admit that the process behind this initiation was abrasive and required a sacrifice like none other. The first step in letting go is identifying our comfort zones. I knew that I needed to let mine go, but what were they? I found that my comfort lies on the other side of discomfort. Singleness, alone time, spending time with God, eating healthy, and change are some of the things that made me uncomfortable. Yet, those were the very things that I desperately needed. I neglected healing, deliverance, and fulfilling purpose every time I went back to familiarity due to fear. I began to accept that the loss was not of concern because it just made room for what I was supposed to gain. God was taking me on a journey to help me release relationships that became time fillers, remove the toxins I was putting into my body, and identify tasks that promoted busyness versus productivity.

Pinpointing my comfort zones revealed a mirrored image of my fixed mindset. God showed me that I could not recognize nor walk into what is next because my mindset was stuck in the past. What was meant to be a life lesson or nostalgia morphed into complacency and regret. A shift in my perspective began when I started to read the Word of God intentionally. With every scripture, I gained the strength to let a part of my past go and the discipline not to go back. I started to feel lighter, and I began to appreciate the process even more. I had days when I felt like turning around, but I had the willpower to stay in position. The more I learned about God, the more I discovered myself.

Journaling helped me track the process of letting go. I started writing down the things that made me feel stuck. I had to confront my past and determine if it was holding me up or holding me back. Resorting to a relationship with a man versus God was a true depictor of my mindset. I had to let that go because I aimlessly loved someone without ever learning to love God, which meant I did not truly love myself because I didn't even know who I was. As I released the relationship, God revealed that it became my way of escaping internal insecurities. With this new insight, I realized that a man would never be able to mend the parts of me that only God could heal.

God revealed that I had to surrender each of these areas to Him. My encouragement came from knowing that God equips us with what we need in the current season that we’re in. So if God wanted something to remain in my life, He would’ve made provisions for it. This prevented me from feeling disappointed or let down. I knew that if I aligned myself with God, everything would work out according to His Will, and in that, He already considered my best interest. I began to understand that even when it does not seem ideal in the short term, it is necessary for our long-term growth and prosperity.

This new mindset helped me release other areas of my life that I held onto out of comfort. God wanted to work on my heart, mind, and spirit before exposing me to the next season of my life. This is where God was able to develop me, so I would not enter the next phase of my purpose prematurely. Now I understand what they meant by "let go and let God." I needed to let go of all baggage and allow God to transition me into greater. Perseverating on the past and what was... is no longer an option if I want to embark on the journey that God has for me. Asking God about the next steps in my life was in vain if I was not in tune with His response and disciplined enough to stay the course.

Remember: Letting go is merely a test of our faith and what lies on the other side is worth the sacrifice.