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“It’s hard to let go of something or someone you think you love, even when all the evidence points toward the wisdom of doing so.”
Letting Go and Letting God
by Alexis A. Goring
Have you ever asked God to show you anything you needed to remove from your life that was preventing you from having a closer walk with Him? I did. Every time I prayed about this issue, two words entered my mind—Facebook and MySpace. And each time, I thought that surely those words and the speed with which they came were from my own mind, not God’s. I mean, surely God did notwant me to disconnect myself from the benefits of modern social networking technology, did He? I loved spending time on these sites! I loved keeping in touch with friends and family via pictures, inspirational videos, and status updates.
But a relentless urging kept tugging at my mind since I first prayed that prayer. It was so strong that I mentioned my great debate with God to a friend. We just “happened” to be talking over the telephone about letting go of whatever God knows you do not need, so I mentioned my recent concern to see what she thought about it. Her reply was this: “Well, if you joined just to stay in touch with your friends, then stay connected. For a minute, her response convinced me that it would be OK to continue using social networking sites. However, after that short-lived minute, the struggle between my wants and God’s will for my life resumed.
Enter television and radio news stories about how creditors access client’s social networking sites to make judgments about how they manage their money and about how employers review the pages of potential employees in order to make hiring decisions. These were some of the reasons ringing in my head as to why it would be good to drop out. Yet it’s hard to let go of something or someone you think you love, even when all the evidence points toward the wisdom of doing so. And I love social networking—so much so that I continued arguing with God.
One day, however, I began to listen. A social-networking friend and I were talking face-to-face about the wonders of social networking sites, when I declared, “I love Facebook!” She smiled and agreed before adding, “Too much.” While she may not have expected it to be a confirmation of what God had been trying to tell me, those two words helped me to realize just how much I did love on line social networking, and that spending time doing so was taking precedence over staying in touch with God.
So I left.
And when I did, I realized that when God says go, I want to go. I do not want to stay where He doesn’t want me to be. And I want to promptly move to where He sends me. Whatever the situation, I want to live in such a way that when God returns, I will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into my rest” (Matt. 25:23).
Now, after finally letting go and letting God have His way on this issue in my life, I don’t feel burdened by my tendency to compare myself to others, which for me, social networking only made worse. I no longer feel guilty for not listening to my conscience. Now my prayer is: “O Lord, may we live our lives to Your glory and honor. May we make staying in touch with you our first priority with every new morning You give us the gift of life. May we not argue with the urgings of Your Holy Spirit. May we be still and know that You are God and that You are in control. May we trust as it says in Jeremiah 29:11, that Your will for our lives is far better than our own. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”
May this prayer also be yours!