Letting Go

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

In 2013 the movie Frozen took the world by storm when it hit theaters. The story of the ice princess and her sister quickly drew audiences of all ages and the iconic song “Let it Go” soon became a hit. If you have children, grandchildren or have ever seen a part of the movie, I would guess that just a mention of the song has it now playing in your head. In the song, the character Elsa boldly declares she is letting go of her fear of how people see her, of her perfect image and of her control over her power.

While the song is catchy, the notion is difficult. The lyrics reveal the internal battle Elsa had with letting go, and we often battle the same thing. We tend to hold tightly to things that we need to release. Some of us cling to material possessions, our image, a position at work or even just having control over our lives. The notion of letting go and surrendering these things seems difficult, but that is exactly what the Bible calls us to do.

In Matthew 16 Jesus is preparing the disciples for his death when he boldly declares their need to surrender. Matthew 16:24 says “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Denying to self is a difficult task and can be painful. As one commentator says, “we deny self when we surrender ourselves to Christ and determine to obey his will.”

Surrender requires us to let go in all areas of our life. It demands that we let go of our need to be in control; of our fear of how others will view us; of our notion that our possessions and money belong to us and of our need to know all the answers. When we intentionally let go of these things and surrender them to God, we find the fullness of life promised to us in Jesus.

Letting go is a challenging and lifelong process. It is an intentional choice that needs to be made each day as we deny our own desire for control and surrender to God. This process can be painful, and as one commentator says “if we expect it to be a pleasant or mild experience, we will often be disillusioned.” But it is the one way we find true life and light with our Savior. So as we continue in the season of Lent, I challenge you to let go. Is there an area of life where God is asking you to deny yourself? What have you held so tightly that you need to let go of?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thank you for the life we find in you when we let go of our desires and need for control. Convict us of areas where we need to let go and give us the strength to do so. Prompt our hearts daily to follow Jesus’ example and deny ourselves to give you glory. As we do, fill our hearts with the fullness of your peace. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray, Amen.

Makalah Scholten
Spiritual Care Coordinator

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