Letting Go
Healing and Wholeness in Relationships
Reflection By Robbin Brent
Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last.
- Luke 23:46
As we navigate the path of emotional and spiritual healing, we will likely find ourselves confronted with the need to surrender, to let go of our illusions of control and allow ourselves to be held by a love greater than ourselves. This can be terrifying, especially when we have experienced the pain of betrayal or abandonment. Yet, surrender is not passive resignation but an active choice to align ourselves with a greater reality. Just as Jesus, with his final breath, surrendered completely into God’s hands, we too can surrender ourselves to trust in a love that will hold us.
Surrendering involves a daily practice of entrusting ourselves to God’s care, acknowledging our limitations, and making space for grace to work in our lives. Understood this way, true strength often looks like surrender, especially in our closest relationships.
We have reflected on forgiveness this week as one aspect of healing. To forgive often involves surrendering—surrendering our need to be right or our need to get even. It also means surrendering to God’s wisdom and desires. As Henri Nouwen writes, “Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly.”
Lent offers us the opportunity to practice both surrender and forgiveness, to loosen our grip on our own lives, and to allow ourselves to be held by the One who loves us beyond measure.
Making It Personal: What areas of your life feel difficult to surrender control? Is there a particular relationship that might be helped by a decision to surrender control or practice forgiveness? How might you practice letting go and allowing God to be more present in your life this week?