Letting Go

After a couple of weeks, I'm jumping back into the book of John. I'm in chapter 16, verse 5. This passage is so tough. Jesus is trying to get his disciples to understand that He is leaving, but that God is still with them. I love the word used for the Holy Spirit, it means a counselor or friend. Don't think of a professional counselor who is there for you because you pay them. Think of someone who desparately wants to be a part of your life, to stand by you, to support you, to listen and has great advice. That is the role of the Holy Spirit. He brings God's power and wisdom to us, and offers it freely.

The older I get, the more I realize that there is little secret to finding this wisdom. If we will honestly ask, and then trust what He gives us, then we are safe. I've seen it over and over and over. It doesn't require a spiritual giant, it just requires enough faith to let things be. It's that issue of dying to ourselves and letting God have charge of it. We often make it into this monumental task that is way harder than it needs to be.

I think we do that because we overestimate our own power and ability, and underestimate God's. If we see that God is completely in charge, and has all the power He needs, and that He really truly loves us; then it changes us. If we can realize that we really do not control anything, that all of our abilities are really shadows of His power, then we can take the responsibility off of ourselves to fix everything. The Bible never calls us to fix things. God is the one who does that. So why worry? He is strong, we are not. He is truly Loving, we are selfish. He has all we need, we really can't produce anything. We are in good hands. So, pray, let the Spirit pass on His wisdom, and follow.

We just have to keep practicing at it. Even when we fail, we are growing. Whatever you are facing right now that you are holding onto, keep letting God have it bit by bit. He will wait for you. Just keep trying to let it go and listen.