Saturday, October 11, 2014

Letting Go

Letting go.
 I wish it was as easy as just opening up your hand...


...the way it was this week when I let go of my birthday balloons.


Many of you know I just celebrated a milestone birthday about a month ago.
 And I'm okay with all of that.
~
A few weeks had passed and the balloons that I received
had been floating around in my dining room ever since that day.
To be honest, I was kind of tired of watching them bobbing up and down,
 and nearly getting caught up in the ceiling fan.
Also, sometimes temporarily forgetting they were there,
I would see these figures moving out of the corner of my eye.
When you are home alone, this can be a bit spooky!



 Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed getting them.
But usually they lose their helium and start sinking after a few days.
Not these.


So, hubby Jim came up with the idea to let them go...so I did!
After I released them, I was amazed as I watched them getting smaller and smaller...
...as they glimmered in the sunlight on their journey upward.
I thought to myself, I wish it was that easy to let other things go that I hold onto.
~
It is so easy to say that I will "let go and let God"...
...it sounds so spiritual, doesn't it?
And sometimes I think I'm successful at doing so.
At least for a while.


Until I find myself taking that burden back...
...or until the next family crisis or other stressful situation occurs.
~
The longer I stood there and watched them drift farther up into the clouds,
I thought to myself, if only I could relate my burdens to those helium-filled balloons,
I wouldn't be able to take them back if I tried...unless I sprouted wings and took off after them!
(I don't think that will happen any day soon :))
So praise be to God...He is using those balloons to teach me something!


In the midst of turmoil just this past week, 
I was reminded that the word of God tells us that we are not to worry.
Worry does nothing but ruin our day, on top of everything else!
This, of course, is easier said than done, but the Lord makes it possible.
~
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ~ Philippians 4:6


And here's the best part.
 When we learn to let things go...even really big things,
that very next verse in Philippians starts happening...
...and the peace of God which transcends all understanding, 
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:7
~
I don't understand how those three-week-old balloons could fly so high...
...so high that we could no longer see them.
I also don't understand how God can take away our burdens...just like that.
I'm glad I'm learning that it's not my responsibility to understand...
...it's my responsibility to keep trusting Him...and to keep letting go.
~
Have a blessed week, my friends :)

Sharing at:
Spiritual Sundays
Sharing His Beauty





32 comments:

  1. a very difficult lesson.

    i'll let you know if i find any spent and wind-weary balloons in my pastures. :)

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  2. Wow! Who would shave thought that a few balloons could teach such a great lesson. Thanks for sharing this.God still has a lot of work to do on me.

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  3. Looks fun to let the balloons go! You are right--sometimes its hard to just let our troubles go and leave everything in God's hands.

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  4. Such a precious thought-provoking post. I've done all kinds of symbolic things to let go-balloons, nailing slips of paper with burdens to a home-made cross, burning them in the campfire, laying the pieces of paper on the altar to only mentally taking them back to my seat with me. It's so hard. God knows the intent of our heart. He knows our fragile spirits and he knows our weaknesses. I'm so thankful for His grace...because He knows. Have you heard Jeremy Camp's song, "He Knows." Awesome.

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  5. Great metaphor of letting go-I think we all need to do that some times. Happy Birthday!

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  6. Right now, I have so many things that I should let go. I am a believer in God and I have told him right out that I can not handle the three things in my life that are getting to me. So I have put them in his hands. He will take care of me and my family. And I am trusting in him. Your pictures are glorious. Really. They are so pretty and as the balloons were rising, I felt as if it was spiritual for me. Thank you.

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  7. Great post. And it is difficult to remember to just let go. I've thrown a rock into our lake before as a symbol to let it go. Then I enjoy the ripple effect afterwards...that it is all good.

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  8. Teaching moment are always there. The senses must be open to know them and learn. A successful moment for all of us.

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  9. Oh my, how appropriate! Last weekend was my father's estate auction. Emptying my parents' house has been quite a challenge for my sisters and me. And now, letting it go to a new owner is hard. By doing so we're letting go of our home, the only one we had, as Mom and Dad built the house in 1948 when they got married and lived there until they died. Letting go...we all have to do it. And you're right: our job is to trust instead of worry. It works every time!

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  10. A wonderful metaphor, Debby, with magnificent illustrations. Your balloons had reached such a height, that they were no longer visible to you; out of sight, out of mind. Letting go can certainly be freeing - it's the journey before that, that's a challenge.

    Have a wonderful week!

    Poppy

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  11. Letting go or holding on, both require enormous strength.

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  12. Great analogy. If we could just trust about the burdens, they could lift away like your balloons. Thanks for this.

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    1. I guess if it was effortless, we wouldn't need the Lord :)

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  13. What a great lesson from those balloons. Perhaps thats why they lasted so long.

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  14. Wonderful lesson for us all to learn...."I'm glad I'm learning that it's not my responsibility to understand......it's my responsibility to keep trusting Him."

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    1. Joane, learning is the key word...I certainly haven't mastered it yet :) Thank you for your comment!

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  15. Wonderful post - and lesson from those balloons! I find that the Christian life is a DAILY repentance and following Christ. When I was younger, I used to think that at some point we would 'arrive.' Not so, until the day we see Him face to face. Until then, we trust and obey. Blessings on your day!

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  16. Beautifully said Debbie. Letting go can open us up to newer, greater and brighter things. Blessings, Linda

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  17. Happy Belated Birthday my friend! And what a great comparison of letting go, and letting the balloons float off to...who knows where? I wish letting go was that easy too. And like you said, there was so little helium in your balloons, yet they floated right off.
    I guess that tells me that in spite of my own weaknesses, God can power me off to...who knows where? Can't wait to see; how about you?
    Blessings for a great year!
    Ceil

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  18. This is a great post and so true.,

    I had my birthday on the 4th = not a milestone, but always ticking off the years watching them fly past much too quickly.............and btw- did you know that those helium balloons are able to be re-heliumed? Not sure that's a word, but yes, you can let them go flat them take them to a Dollar Store or wherever you go in your area that blows up balloons and can reuse them to give to another person! : - ) My little sister bought a little helium tank and keeps it in her unfinished basement and reuses them all the time (she has 4 kids and a million friends and is frugal to a fault,) but neat idea, huh?

    Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND MANY MORE TO COME! : - ) God bless you!!

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  19. Did I miss wishing you a Happy Birthday?? If I did, then consider this my belated best wishes! I'm praying that God will bring you a year of fun, family, fellowship, and the fullness of His blessings!

    I loved this analogy, Debby. Letting go is such a challenge for me. And worry is definitely my *thorn* - I struggle with it all the time. Your thoughts on this issue have greatly encouraged me today! I love Philippians 4:7. And I like how we are promised that our hearts and our minds will be guarded and watched over. To me, that means my feelings AND my thoughts!! For this is where the battle for peace wages in my life! Thanks for the *uplift* today!

    GOD BLESS!

    (And FYI - my original photo on my blog did not publish this morning. So I frantically added a new one of me and my hubby. Then, it started to bug me that the other one hadn't worked, and I wanted to figure that out. So, I did, and I re-published my post with the original photo! Felt better about it, too, because the one of me and hubby was 4 years (and several less pounds) ago!! Just thought you might want to know! SENIOR MOMENT!!)

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    1. Sharon...yes girl...you did wish me happy birthday...no problem if you hadn't! I was just playing with you since I had used the "60 is the new 40" thing on my birthday post :) I went back and saw the new pic of you...still adorable after aging 4 years and if you put on a few pounds, I didn't see it!

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  20. This is such a good post, Debby. And so true. It's easy to say but...hard to do.
    I have a hurtful thing in my life that made me sick for several months, worrying about...and after talking with God about it, HE took it from me and I can breath again. This doesn't mean that I don't STILL worry some...it involves someone I love dearly...it just means HE carries it for me, and listens to my prayers, as HE does for everyone. :)

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  21. Wonderful post! I agree, easy to say, but not easy to do. Nice shots of those balloons floating away.

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  22. Oh Debby Ray, I NEEDED this tonight - at this very moment. Thank you, dear one, for writing this. You will probably never know the full impact it had on me - bless you!

    Love and hugs!

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  23. what a wonderful post, and happy birthday!

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  24. What a great visual for letting go. Oh my, isn't it so hard sometimes? I find I have to keep letting go of certain things over and over again. Thank you for giving me a picture of what it could look like (and I like the analogy of how those balloons got to be an annoyance; it really was freeing to let them go!).

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    1. It is absolutely hard Deborah...and I know that I will have to keep doing it over and over again. I will try to visualize those balloons everytime need to let something go...which may be every other day...at least :)

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  25. Thank you for this beautiful post, Debbie! It is just what I needed to read tonight. I have a hard time not trying to help God out a little bit. :)

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  26. Wonderful post. We will never again be without worries and it does ruin every day. I need to let them go. It is so hard.

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  27. This is a lovely post. A reminder to let go and let the Lord work in our lives. I will admit, the last weeks have been filled with heartache and burdens. I needed this today!

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Thank you for stopping by today! Your sweet comments are such an encouragement to me.

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