As moms, we sometimes have a habit of holding on really tight to things in our life – particularly if they affect our children. I know I do. I feel like I have to do so in order to protect them. Of course, there are many problems with this. One of the biggest problems is that I’m not teaching them to let go of troubles in the hard times and trust God. Before starting a family I used the phrase “Let Go and Let God” often. Now, I find myself constantly trying to be in control of every little detail to ensure our health and happiness. It was leaving me very UNhappy, though. I had forgotten the importance of letting go, but the past few months have been a good reminder.
My husband just medically retired from the Army. It was a very long, very slow process, but when it came to a close it happened in the blink of an eye! Being a person that likes organization and isn’t too fond of change, I panicked at some of the news we received. We weren’t yet able to buy a house using the VA loan, which would mean we would have to rent. Rentals in the Houston area are NOT cheap, so this alone made me a little uneasy! Things progressed as I tried to plan everything so very carefully, and it all just didn’t work out! How could this be happening? My perfect planning was turning into a perfect disaster!
I just wanted to know we would have a house, therapists lined up for the kids, and maybe a homeschooling group to join. It all went back to the house, though, because location would make a big difference. We weren’t having any luck finding a house. At least not the way I was planning. That’s when it happened. I read something that just made sense to me. I was reading a parenting devotional that said if I’m not walking in my faith and trusting God for everything then I’m modeling that example for our children. All this worry over protecting our children, and I forgot our Heavenly Father is protecting ME, too!
I bet you can guess what happened next! Despite the Army scheduling our movers early, we still had a lease ready and signed for a home before we moved. It actually worked out BETTER here that the movers were early because we were able to move in to our new house right away! Getting a Galveston moving company that provides incredible moving services is key to a great move to the city near Houston, Tx. Everything just fell into place in a beautiful way that can only be orchestrated by God. It wasn’t the house I thought I wanted or in the neighborhood I thought we should live in, but it’s been wonderful! If there is one thing I have learned (but am often reminded of still), it’s that He always knows best!
The next week when we were challenged again with financial strain and the government shut down while my husband was back at Fort Hood to finish his out processing paperwork. We didn’t know if he would be able to finish the paperwork and come back to our new home. We didn’t know if he’d get paid for those extra days he would be there since it was beyond his out processing date. I decided to not even hold on to that burden. I just “Let Go and Let God.” I asked for intercession through prayer, which is encouraged throughout scripture, but it was just that. It wasn’t “ask for prayer then stress out.” (I know some of you can relate!) It was ask for prayer and know my Heavenly Father has my back. How freeing!
And you know what? You may be faced with a completely different challenge. You may have a hard time letting go because you feel like you have to protect your children. You may even feel like nobody else understands. I can relate to that. Let go and let God. He cares about you and your family. He is YOUR Father. Just picture how you feel about protecting your children and know He feels that for you more than you can imagine! All that stress and worry – LET GO and LET GOD!
Emilee is the owner, writer, and creator of Pea of Sweetness where she shares her journey to Proverbs 31 and writes about Faith, family, homeschooling, eco-friendly living, and reviews and giveaways as well as shares her sewing/crafting business once in a while. She is happily married to her best friend, Joey, who is a 2x cancer survivor and is a full-time, homeschooling mom to their 3 special needs kids who amaze, inspire, and humble her every day.
You can also connect with Emilee on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Thank you for sharing your words today Emilee! My husband also medically retired from the Army, almost 3 years ago now. It was a pain, and the process is long and slow, plus a period of unemployment left us struggling to make ends meet – God pulled us through without our knowledge as neither of us had accepted Christ into our hearts when all this happened. I wish you and your family a easy, and somewhat painless transition from Army to civillian life.
Thank-you Shannon! Praise the Lord for what He did in your life! Thank-you for sharing your story as well! 🙂
Thank you for sharing, Sarah! I don’t like change either! You have good advice on here! It was a good reminder for me 🙂
Thank you for hosting this linky too!
Very true Emilee, God cares so much more for us and our loved ones, than we care for our selves and them Letting go means releasing them into the most trusted and capable hands and He loves and honours our trust in Him.
Thanks a lot for sharing and have a super blessed day!
Love
Absolutely! 🙂
It’s such a hard thing to do. I didn’t used to like that saying, Let go and let God. I thought it was way too simplistic. But the truth was I didn’t really understand what it meant. Now I do. I have a new mantra that I tell myself that’s similar: Do your best and give God the rest. Or control what you can and let the rest go. Because there are things we can do for ourselves, areas where we have work to do, and are supposed to do. And once we’ve done what we’re able, our part of it, the rest is in God’s hands 🙂
That is true. In this case, though, I was getting in His way! I like that quote – “Do your best and give God the rest” Thanks for sharing!
hat a beautifully written post. Letting go is a tall order for myself as well. The toughest letting go for me is past hurts. I know God will always be the help I need to get through and be well.