Let It Go, Gracie!

We have a two-year-old miniature schnauzer who is as cute as can be! Gracie is quite a character who lets everyone think she’s the boss. She has a big personality and is fearless. The problem is she is still little (only about 12 pounds), so she doesn’t understand the dangers that lurk in our backyard. She still puts anything in her mouth, including some really disgusting things. I’ll tell her, “Let it go, Gracie,” but she just looks at me and keeps chewing! And if I try to get whatever it is from her, she runs away at break-neck speed. Oh, my goodness! She is a handful. But we wouldn’t trade her for anything!

Gracie thinks that all the doggie toys at our house belong to her. Her big brother, Brody, who is a five-year-old miniature schnauzer, is nice enough to give in to her and let her have his toys. Like I said above, she goes after everything that moves with great tenacity and boldness.

Letting Go Can Be Fun!

Brody, who is a bit more laid back, knows that a toy is the most fun when Mommy or Daddy throws it. He goes bounding happily down the hall to fetch it, runs quickly back, and then drops it excitedly at our feet to throw again.  We share his enthusiasm and throw the toy over and over again.  That is until Gracie comes along. She will chase after his toy, even when she has one of her own toys in her mouth!  We have tried to get her to drop her toy so we can throw it for her, but that is not her plan. She tries to put both toys in her mouth, or she drops one and chases Brody to get his toy, playfully growling at him to let her have it. But, the funny thing is, if he goes after the toy she dropped, she growls and chases him to give it back, too!

If only she could understand that there is more joy in letting go of that toy than there is in holding on to it tightly in her mouth. If she would let us be in control, it could be so much more fun for her. But she hasn’t figured out to just trust us!

To Let Go Takes Trust

Oh my. That sounds a lot like us, doesn’t it? God has so many blessings and so much joy to give us, but we just want to hang on tight to what we think we need and what we think is best. Sometimes, letting go doesn’t make sense in our human minds.

This “letting go” isn’t just about material things. It’s also about our plans and our agendas. It can be any of those things we think we need to be content – going to the best school, living in a certain city, getting married, having children, having a successful career at XYZ company, living in a big house, driving a nice car, traveling the world, and having a big stock portfolio to retire rich.… All of those sound safe enough, but what does God want for us?

You see, he loves us more than anything, but he still wants us to trust him. That means for every aspect of our lives, not just a few things. What seems right for us to hold on to, he may tell us to let go of because what he has planned is so much better for us.

The Pearl Necklace

There is a sweet story I read recently about a little girl and her plastic pearl necklace. (I know it makes this post a bit long, but the story is worth sharing.)

Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl. One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $2.50.

Oh, how she wanted that necklace! When she asked her mother if she would buy it for her, her mother said, “Well, it is a pretty necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. I’ll tell you what. I’ll buy you the necklace, and when we get home, I’ll let you make up a list of chores that you can do to pay for the necklace. And don’t forget that for your birthday Grandma just might give you a whole dollar bill, too. Okay?”

Jenny agreed, and her mother bought the pearl necklace for her. Jenny worked on her chores very hard every day, and sure enough, her grandma gave her a brand-new dollar bill for her birthday. Soon Jenny had paid off the pearls.

How Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere — to kindergarten, to bed, and when she went out with her mother to run errands. But her mother would not let her wear them in the shower because they might turn her neck green!

Letting Go is Not Always Easy

Now Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would get up from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny her favorite story. One night when he finished the story, he said, “Jenny, do you love me?”

“Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you,” the little girl said.

“Well, then, give me your pearls.”

“Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!” Jenny said. “But you can have Rosie, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And I will even let you have her tea party outfit, too. Okay?”

“Oh no, darling, that’s okay.” Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. “Good night, little one.” A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, “Do you love me?”

“Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you.”

“Well, then, give me your pearls.”

Oh, Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Ribbons, my toy horse. Do you remember her? She’s my favorite. Her hair is so soft, and you can play with it and braid it and everything. You can have Ribbons if you want her, Daddy,” the little girl said to her father.

“No, that’s okay,” her father said and brushed her cheek again with a kiss. “God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams.”

Let Go for Something Better

Several days later, when Jenny’s father came in to read her a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling. “Here, Daddy,” she said, and held out her hand.

She opened it and her beloved pearl necklace was inside. She let it slip into her father’s hand. With one hand her father held the plastic pearls and with the other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside the box were real, genuine, beautiful pearls. He had them all along. He was just waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap stuff so he could give her the real thing.

Wasn’t that a great story? It is so much like us. We tightly grasp things that we think are so valuable. But God smiles and shakes his head. “Oh, my child, if you only knew what I have for you. It’s something priceless, more wonderful than you can even imagine! But you have to trust me and let go of what you are holding on to.”

Yes, “Let Go and Let God” is True

You see, God knows us better than anyone, even better than we know ourselves. Afterall, he created us. He knows all those things we dream about and hope for. But, he also knows what our future holds. His plans for us are far greater than what we can imagine. In his perfect wisdom, he may guide us away from the things we so eagerly desire. But there is always a purpose far beyond what we can see. Trusting isn’t always easy, but if we want to have the abundant life he promises, we just have to trust him.

The problem, in our finite human minds, is that God seems to move too slowly. But he is God, and he rarely works on our time frame. That is probably a good thing since we are always impulsive and in a hurry. So, when he seems to move too slowly, we think he is uncaring and doesn’t really understand how important these things are to us. On the contrary, he loves us more than anything and always does what is best for us, even if we don’t see his plan or like what is happening.

Holding Too Tightly

I love this little verse:

As children bring their broken toys,
with tears for us to mend.
I brought my broken dreams to God,
because He is my friend.
But then instead of leaving Him
in peace to work alone.
I hung around and tried to help,
with ways that were my own.
At last, I snatched them back again
and cried, “How can you be so slow?”
”My child,” He said “What could I do?
You never did let go.”

Let Go and Trust His Plan

That sounds like me sometimes. How about you? God is so loving and patient, just waiting for us to let go. So even when we can’t see his plan or can’t trace his hand, we have to trust his heart. This song by Babbie Mason, called “Trust His Heart,” is one of my favorites. https://youtu.be/Ci834GQj1vA?si=hXkOo1iPpxW8HnVa

So, my dear one, put yourself in the loving, generous hands of the One who will make all things work out just as they should. His plans are perfect, and his blessings are abundant. Jesus told us, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).

Letting Go Makes Life Easier!

I have a secret for you. Life is actually so much easier when we just let go and trust that he loves us. His perfect plan is so much better than trying to figure everything out on our own! It really is. That is one advantage of being an old grandma, I’ve had a lot of practice letting go, and he has always come through with something so much better. Remember, God promises us that in all things he works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). Instead of frantically trying to control every aspect of our lives, we can relax and just breathe.

And I promise, I won’t start singing like Elsa, “Let it go. Let it go…..”

Prayer:

Dearest loving Father, You are so patient with us! We stubbornly hold on to our own agendas because we think we are so smart. All along, you just wait for us to realize that your plans for us are so much better than ours can ever be. Help us to let go and trust you in every way. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.