I once heard a powerful illustration. It was about a soldier out on a mission or a march. This soldier was carrying with him all the equipment and even all his uniforms and worn-out shoes of past missions and years. He was completely overwhelmed and struggling under the weight of it all and unable to effectively carry out his current mission. Of course, no-one would have pity on him because what he was doing was completely senseless. But yet, often in our mental and spiritual lives, we find ourselves doing exactly the same thing!
We were made only to carry the weight of 24 hours – no more. When we carry the burdens of the years behind and the days ahead, it’s no wonder we find ourselves struggling to make progress on the road of life. God Has already taken our past from us, why do we still pick it up and bear the burden of it?
The simple principal of letting go is one of the things I often struggle with the most. Maybe it is because somewhere in the back of my mind I believe that the more I struggle with something, the more I can control it. If I think about it long enough or reason all the different scenarios or plan all the possible outcomes maybe I can lessen the worry. Maybe I can diminish the pain. Maybe I can figure it all out by understanding why things went wrong. Understand why it happened so that it will never happen again.
But the truth is, that road most often only leads to even further confusion and pain.
Letting go is about trusting God. It is about surrendering all the wrongs, all the hurt and everything that doesn’t make sense to you. It is so hard to do though because it sounds too simple. Surely God expects me to do something… anything?! It can’t be that easy? I can’t just drop all the weight of the years on the ground and walk away?
With God’s help though, you can do exactly that. You can let go of the things hurting your soul because He is Your Healer. You can let go of your doubts and fears because He is powerful and all-knowing. You can let go of your need to control because only He is really in control.
If you trust Him, all this is possible. And even if you don’t, you can still ask Him to help show you why He is trustworthy. The most trustworthy of all.
I believe that all it takes is a simple, child-like prayer, where we ask God to take the burden from us – whether it is something painful that happened in your past, or some concern for the future. And once you have done that, ask Him to give you His peace in return. Then do not dwell anymore on it mentally. When a thought enters your mind on the topic, remember your prayer where you handed it to God and refuse to dwell on it any further. Replace these intrusive thoughts with thoughts of God’s goodness and provision for you.
Paul states in Philippians 3:13: “One thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what lies ahead…”
When God created us He had already seen our whole lives in front of Him. Every mistake, every tear, every heartache. We are not defined by these. We are defined by who we are in Christ and all that He has already done for us on the cross. As we learn to drop each burden at His feet, our lighter load will enable us to walk in the full light of His perfect victory and freedom.
The Faithfulness of God 