Hold On and Let Go
JILL SAVAGE
Listen to this devotion
“There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for
everything on the earth … A right time to hold on and another to let
go.” Ecclesiastes 3:1, 6 (MSG)
I remember when it happened. I was sitting in our living room
scrolling through Facebook. It seemed everyone was talking about finding
“back-to-school” specials.
They were sharing deals on notebooks, paper and markers. And that’s when it hit me: My getting-kids-ready-for-school days were over. Our
youngest of five had married eight months earlier, and quite frankly,
I’d been enjoying the freedom of the new season. On this August
afternoon, though, the tears began to roll, and I silently said to
myself, I don’t like this. Not one little bit.
Life is full of change. There are natural transitions we all
experience: Kids grow up, jobs change, moves happen, friendships morph,
our bodies age, and loved ones pass away after living a full life. There
are also unexpected changes that occur in life: divorce, illness,
people make poor choices, and friends and loved ones pass away sooner
than we could ever have imagined.
Every transition comes with a crazy ride of emotions.
Life, like a
roller coaster, is on its way up a steep hill. You take a queasy peek
right before you plunge down at breakneck speed, much faster than you
prefer. The winds of change smack you in the face as the emotional
roller coaster twists, turns and loops, sometimes taking you to
unthinkable destinations.
Struggling to sort through the emotions of my empty nest, I opened my
Bible for direction and headed to the book of Ecclesiastes, remembering
this is where we can find the “in everything there is a season” verses.
I was in a new season as an empty nester, but I was also a Nana. With
the 13-year age span of our five kids, I became a grandmother before our
younger children were even launched into adulthood.
This particular morning, I made my way to chapter 3, especially
verses 1 and 6. I like the way The Message translation shares it. It
says: “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth … a right time to hold on and another to let go.”
It was verse 6 that stopped me in my tracks. Those words “hold on” and “let go” jumped right off the page to me, and I whispered, Lord,
that’s what I need to stop the roller coaster. I need to know what to
hold on to and what to let go of. If those are clear to me, I think I
might be able to move forward.
That became the focus of my prayers during this new, disorienting
season of life. In each new situation I’ve faced, I’ve breathed the
prayer, What part of this situation do I need to hold on to, and what part do You want me to let go of, Lord?
Getting these straight in my head has revolutionized my thinking,
freed me from unrealistic expectations, and given me vision for this new
and different life ahead of me.
In my empty-nest season, God has shown me I need to let go of my
opinions about my adult child’s choices, but I need to hold on to my
passion for family connection.
Life is really one change after another. One thing that doesn’t
change, however, is God’s truth that guides us. I’m grateful for the
steady hand His Word offers when the roller coaster of life takes us on
one ride after another.
Lord, thank You for being my Rock and my firm foundation. Show me
what You need me to hold on to and what You need me to let go of as I
navigate the life changes in front of me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.