Let It Go

I'm a collector.  And I love holding on to things, even for years at a time.

I have t-shirts and spirit ribbons and all kinds of memorabilia from my school days.  I still have a box full of baby clothes and little painted wooden rabbits and a deflated mylar balloon that reads "it's a girl!"  Mind you, that baby girl is now a momma herself. And don't even ask me to count how many quilts and embroidered pillow cases I have which were hand stitched by generations of women in my family.

These are precious items to me.  But even more precious are the memories attached to each item.

Even now as I am writing this, images of that inflated pink balloon softly floating bedside as I hold my beautiful just-one-day-old baby girl are flooding my memory [and memories flooding my eyes].

This is a snapshot of a moment in time that is so special, one that I always want to hold onto; a most precious memory which stirs up feelings of warmth and love.

But not all memories are precious.
Not all memories are warm and loving.
Not all memories are worth holding onto.

There are a lot of moments over the years that were not so precious and memory worthy. Drama, hurt feelings, abuse, broken relationships, depression.  All traumatic battles lived through, fought and overcome only by the grace and love of God.

Too often we carry our wounds from one battle into another or hold onto them even after the battle is long past.   By constantly revisiting and dwelling on these traumatic memories we can unintentionally allow the seeds of worry, fear and insecurity to be sown. All of which can sprout and grow and become life choking, just like a wild vine or a flower bed full of weeds.

• Life choking because if I allow those weeds of the past to grow they will not allow any room for my present to bloom and flourish.
  
  
• Life choking because every moment I spend reliving my past is taking that moment out of my present.

Over the years I have learned, when God tells me to eliminate a weed from my life, I can't just chop it off or cut it down.  I must dig deep and remove the roots so that none of the weed will grow back.

Are there some weeds which have taken root in your life?

Are memories from the past choking out your present?

Maybe it's time to go pull some weeds, maybe it's time to let it go.

In this study journal, I have invited several of our Soul Friends to join in this discussion about some things God has helped them to let go of in their own lives.

Fear, bitterness, regret, shame and people-pleasing.

Do you have any of these weeds sprouting in your life?

Have any of them seemingly taken over and grown out of control?

If so, we want to help you let them go.

Through God’s Word, we can learn what God has designed for our lives and receive helpful encouragement to take back control from fear, bitterness, regret, shame and people-pleasing and let it go.

Surely, this list could be much, much longer, but each of these weeds have grown in my own life and I know to be completely effective in letting each one go, it takes time, effort and commitment.

 Joining us for Let It Go are: Gretchen Fleming, Karen Friday, Amy Elaine Martinez, Mitzi Neely and Melanie Redd. I invite you to meet each of these authors and wonderful women of God in the back of this study guide. Then visit their websites and connect with them on line. You will be blessed!

Feel free to use these study materials at your own pace. Each of the 5 sections features a different topic and worksheets with additional journaling space. The teachings are short and could be used daily or weekly. It also makes a great study journal to use in a group setting with your friends or study partners.

However you utilize Let It Go, we pray that God meets you in the verses of His Word, inspires your heart, and provides you with the desire and strength to address these topics in your own life and let it go.

Dear Lord, I pray for the woman reading this who is living under the heavy burden of fear, bitterness, regret, shame or people-pleasing. I ask that You bring her a willingness to live out Your Holy Word and the strength to face the circumstances feeding these weeds in her life. Thank You for allowing our path to cross hers, help her to know she is loved and cherished and held in the palm of Your hand. In Jesus name I pray these things, Amen.

Blessings Soul Friends,

Download your FREE copy of Let It Go: 5 Things You Don't Need Taking Up Space In Your Heart by adding your email address to the box below.