The Pain of Letting Go

When Jan lost her daughter to cancer, her world fell apart. I can't imagine dealing with that type of pain. It's a loss you truly never "get over," at least not fully. However, God longs to meet us in the devastation of loss. He desires to transform it into glory. He longs to grant us deep, unimaginable grace.

The question is, will we let Him? Or will we hold tightly onto people, things--even our pain--out of fear and distrust?

Jochebed gave her son over to the river, and God returned him to her for a short time. However, later she was forced to give Moses back to Pharoah's daughter after nursing him into toddlerhood. I wonder if it was harder to say goodbye the second time when she'd held him longer and watched him grow into a chubby, wobbly cherub.

Our children (along with all of God's blessings--family, material things, jobs) are gifts, but we must hold them loosely. They are God's first, and ours second. How difficult it is to process and live that out! But lasting, genuine peace comes when we open our hands and offer back to our Heavenly Father whatever we've been holding onto. Whether we're letting go of our children, a longheld dream, or a relationship, I pray that we'll be women of courage and faith...women who give God that which He's entrusted to us, and leave the results to Him.

Dena Dyer