Fear of Letting Go

When the time came for me to really let her go and say goodbye at the airport, the tears came. How could I impart upon her all the things I hadn’t said? How could I make sure she was making good choices and being safe? How could I let my baby go to the other side of the country without me? She was so young! I was afraid for her. Afraid for things she had never even thought about. This precious gift that God had given me was leaving me and it was time for me to let go. This was me sending my oldest daughter off to Seattle, Washington. She was going to be fine. I knew that in my heart. But not seeing her every day and not hearing her singing in the house and her silly laughing with her little sisters was going to leave a hole. 

The fact of the matter is that I am no good at letting things go. I am afraid. Fear gets a foothold in my heart and I can’t seem to release things to God like I am supposed to. Proverbs 3:5 says we are to trust God and not lean on our own understanding. Philippians 4:6 says we aren’t supposed to be anxious, but let request be known to God. Romans 8:28 promises that it will all work together for those that love God. So why is this so hard? 

The enemy is smart and knows how much we like to be in control. He knows what kinds of things make us worry and anxious and fearful. He knows that letting go in faith is hard enough, but when you add a touch of fear, it makes it even harder. 

We hold tight to so many things. So many of these things are meant to be left at Jesus’ feet. This includes our kids! Yes, we are supposed to take care of them, but there comes a time when we do let go. He loves our kids even more than we do! He loves us more than we can imagine! Sweet sisters, we have to learn to let him take over in so many areas of our life. That job you want? He’s got a plan for it. The spouse you were given? God has it under control. That worry for health issues? He already knows how it is going to work out. That worry in the back of your mind that keeps you up at night striking fear in your heart for it to work out? Already taken care of according to His plan. 

The opposite of FEAR is FAITH (a strong form of trust). That is power in our hands! The power that lives in us is built on that faith. 

2 Timothy 1:7 “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

We must rest on that promise. We are told we have POWER, LOVE, and SELF-CONTROL in the face of our fears. 

I let a few tears flow that day I put my 18 year old daughter on a plane to Seattle. I am guilty of telling her that she can always come home. But I let her go. I left her in the hands of the Father that loves her even more than I do and knows that she was raised to be independent. What do you need to leave at the feet of Jesus today? I promise that you will be glad you did. Let your fears of letting go be the first things to go.

---

WRITTEN BY: ANGIE REESE

Head over to the COMMUNITY and join the conversation!

Photo by Paul Gilmore on Unsplash