Growing Up and Letting Go

   I have a program on my computer that will change the wallpaper every 15 minutes or so, and this morning this picture of my daughter popped up on the screen.  This was taken four years ago when Anna was just learning of her love for water.  Note that in order to love the water, we took precautions to keep her afloat and to protect her.  Anna has now begun Kindergarten, swims competitively on the swim team, and as then, is willing and eager to jump into whatever is before her.
    School has been in session almost a month now, and as these weeks have unfolded I’ve found myself pausing more frequently to simply reflect upon my children, their growth and the changes that they’ve been through.  I’ve found myself reminiscing about what they used to be like, while at the same time looking deeply into who they are becoming.  As I’ve been reflecting upon their growing up, I’ve had to also name that I have to do some letting go as well.
    As they age and mature, they encounter different experiences which shape and mold them.  Some of these things are good and some bad.  Some have more impact than others, but I have little control over most of these.  Rather, I find myself more and more ‘debriefing’ them after the fact to teach a lesson or simply to give them a chance to talk about an experience.  As my wife and I go through this process, we find that we’re not the only ones that have to let go of who we thought we were or what we thought would be our reality, but they too have to let go of such things in order to mature into who God is calling them to be.
  
    One of the great gifts that God gives us is the privilege of growing up and learning.  I believe strongly that part of God’s plan for each of us is that we are constantly growing and changing and being shaped into something new, and the more I visit and share with ‘more experienced’ members of society, especially the great saints, the more I recognize this truth.  Someone once said, “If a church is not growing, it’s dying.”  The same can be said for individuals.  If we settle for the status quo or simply try to maintain our piece of life, we’re really dying, or at least from my perspective, we’re not living into the new life God offers us.
    And yet, we live in a society that leans toward the easy fix.  We are people who like to keep control and keep things on an even keel so that we can feel secure.  We like this because it gives us security.
    If you have any doubts about this, look at what is happening in the world and politics.  Much of what fuels the fires of political debate is holding tightly to an ideology, which so often means either keeping or trying to get back to “the way things have always been done,” when in truth change is inevitable, and the only way to navigate change is to seek understanding and cohesion for the good of the community at large.  Yes, this means giving up a bit of control, but my experience has been that, when we are willing to do so, we might not agree at the end of the day, but we are changed and moved a bit closer together.
    Of course, this is hard stuff, and for many it is too hard, because the key to opening up is letting go.  It is first acknowledging the reality of change, then taking an attitude and desire to grow into the change that comes, then letting go and letting God do what God does best...change is in God’s image.

    The stories of the people of Israel are foundational to the faith, and when we begin to really examine them, we find that they are the stories of all people who seek to follow God.  Whether Biblical or in our day to day, the pattern remains the same.  We have some encounter with God.  God shares with us what will bring us true life, and we live into that...for a little bit.  But then we harken back to the good ole days or we feel like God is calling for more than we think we can handle or that old friend “control” sneaks in, and we dig in our heels and resist the change.  Things don’t usually go as well when we react in such ways, than if we’d just let go and let God.

    Moses was leading the people of Israel across the wilderness into the Promised Land.  At first manna and quail were okay.  They were grateful, but after awhile that diet got old.  “We were better off as slaves in Egypt!  Why’d you bring us out here to die?  Let’s go back.”  To move forward into that wilderness was to risk being changed, and that’s hard.  Then again, it is the very thing that moves us to grow into God’s image.

    Soon after that picture of Anna was taken, as happened with my boys, she learned to swim on her own.  The swimmies were removed from her arms and the kapoc left her waist.  The protection that she needed when she was younger was removed as she gained experience and she grew into a true swimmer.  As this happened, we were beside her with each step, but eventually as she mastered the skill, we were able to let go and let her do the thing which brings her great joy.
    In many ways, this is how God is with us.  God helps us along when we first enter the waters of faith, and slowly steps back as we learn and grow more.  At times we may falter, but God is beside us to lift us up again.  As we grow, God lets us go, but remains close, gently nudging us toward who and what God needs us to be.
    And just as my daughter had to trust us as parent to be there throughout this process, so are we invited to trust God, our Holy Parent, as we go through the process of learning, growing, and being changed into God’s image.  When we do so, we don’t just experience great joy, but we receive new life.

Where in your life have you dug in your heels and stifled God’s work to change you?  When have you let go and let God work?  What was the result?