We face many trials and hardships in this life. As believers and mothers we must learn to let go and let God.
I was recently catching up with a close longtime friend. We are similar in age and stage of life. I was encouraged to find that I am not alone in wishing I had done many things different in those early years of marriage and motherhood. We both wished we had had the maturity and knowledge we have now back then. Not that we have “arrived” but we certainly have more in those departments than we did 15-20 years ago.
Titus 2 Women
I am certain this is why Titus 2 encourages older women to teach the younger women. “ Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” Titus 2:3-5
We are all younger women and older women to someone. And yet, we do live in a fallen world, things are not the way they are supposed to be and we are not perfect. Oh how I thank the Lord that His grace is sufficient for me, and that His power is made perfect in my weakness. (see 2 Corinthians 12:9)
Falling Short
Many of us want to be a perfect wife and mother, or as close as we can get. Not for the sake of impressing onlookers, but out of our love for God and our family and wanting them to have the best. But the truth is not even the Proverbs 31 woman was perfect, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 Yep, that includes her.
Letting Go of Regrets and Letting God Restore
We are all going to have some regrets. Knowing fully now that I fall so short of even my own standards I cling to the knowledge that God can make up for what I am lacking, He can restore and repair things that no one else can. I am not enough, but He is. He is more than enough friends. I will continue to try my best in His strength, but at the end of the day I will rest knowing that His grace is sufficient for me. That His power is made perfect in my weakness.
This is where prayer and open hands come in. We must hold our family, our children, our marriage up to the Father with open hands. Don’t cling to them tightly or make idols out of them. We have already learned we are not enough for them, but God is and we need to let Him be the one who holds onto them. And when times are tough or things are going wrong that is all the more reason to trust Him with them.
Let Go and Let God a Poem of Encouragement
When I was a teenager I used to love looking around our town’s small family owned Christian bookstore for encouragement. One day I bought a pocket card with a poem by an unknown author called Let Go and Let God.
Let Go and Let God
As children bring their broken toys,
with tears for us to mend,
I brought my broken dreams to God,
because He is my friend.
But then instead of leaving Him in
peace to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help,
with ways that were my own.
At last, I snatched it back again and cried,
“How can you be so slow?”
“My child” He said, “What could I do?
You never let it go.”
Oh how God has used this poem in my life over and over again! Thankfully I have learned not to snatch things back from him any longer. I am still continually learning to take things to Him and let Him work. But because of the times that I have finally let go, I have been able to see how God works. How he accomplished so much more than I hoped or dreamed when I trust Him with situations or with people I love.
Practice Letting Go
He is faithful my friends, always faithful. If you will try it, if you will practice giving things to Him and letting go of them then you will get to experience His faithfulness. You will see how He can do so much more than we can ever ask or imagine. (Eph. 3:20) You will grow to be so much quicker at letting go the more often you do it. You will remember His faithfulness and that He can do so much more than you can do.
Be Still equals Letting Go
“Be still and know that I am God. The original Hebrew root for Be still doesn’t mean “be quiet”; it means “let go.” That’s very different, don’t you think? Let go and know that I am God! Let go of trying to control your spouse! Let go of your worry about your finances! Let go of your unforgiveness! Let go of your past! Let go of what you can’t control-and rest in the knowledge that God is in control!” -Sheila Walsh
Actively Letting Go and Letting God
It is hard to sit back and do nothing, and that is not what God is asking of us. We can pray, meditate on scripture that reminds us of His faithfulness and find verses to pray over the situation or the person. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
We can make a playlist of worship songs that anchor us in faith. A few on my list right now are In Jesus Name (God of Possible) by Katy Nichole, Truth I’m Standing On by Leanna Crawford, Hallelujah Even Here by Lydia Laird, Even If by MercyMe, and I Surrender All by Citizens.
Read books of Faithful Christians. Missionary and other Christian biographies give testimony to God’s faithfulness in the lives of others. They remind us to stand firm in trusting Him. Here are some good ones to get you started: A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot, Bruchko by Bruce Olson.
Ours to Let Go
I leave you with this beautiful quote by Elisabeth Elliot.
“If we hold tightly to anything given to us unwilling to allow it to be used as the Giver means it to be used we stunt the growth of the soul. What God gives us is not necessarily “ours” but only ours to offer back to him, ours to relinquish, ours to use, ours to let go of, if we want to be our true selves. Many deaths must go into reaching our maturity in Christ, many letting goes.” -Elisabeth Elliot
Praying for you fellow moms out there as you navigate the seasons of marriage and motherhood. Please feel free to share your own testimonies of God’s faithfulness in your life in the comment section below.