Letting Go and Trust

Letting Go and Trusting God

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie

copyright 2019

Letting go is a part of life and is directly related to our trust in God. There are many things in life that I have had to let go of through the years, and I am sure many of you will be able to relate.

Austin, Joe and I at the Navel Academy 2004

One cold winter day as we were driving to school, my oldest son told me he wanted to apply to the United States Naval Academy and become an engineer. Although I knew he would have excellent opportunities from attending the military academy, I also had to face the reality he would one day go to war. Austin was a Junior in high school and I vividly remember sitting in the parking lot at his high school after he got out of the car and talking to God and saying, “God I didn’t raise my son to go to war.” 

I felt God reply, “I know, but you constantly prayed for me to help you raise him for his destiny; now can you let go of him so he can do that?” I sat in my car and wept. How could I argue with God and win? He was right. Austin’s father and I frequently prayed for God to help us prepare our children for their destiny.

As I struggled to let go of my first born, I began to change my prayers to “God help me let go of my son.” I realized my three kids were not mine, but God’s. He just loaned them to us for 20 years to raise. As I embraced that mindset and began to see things God’s way, peace flooded my heart. 

Since that time 22 years ago, I have had to let go of many things. Dreams for my life,  relationships, job, life as I have known it, my other two children, my late husband, plans I’ve made, just to name a few.  God has helped me each time to release people, and many other things. I imagine He chuckles and says, “Kathleen, I am so glad you asked because it shows that you trust me.”

Letting go is directly related to our trust in God. It is the place where we practice what we preach. There are many examples of letting go in the Bible, although those particular words are not used. 

For example, Mary, the mother of Jesus, had to let go of her plans for her life when the angel showed up in Luke1:29-38 and told her God’s plan for her life. She had vision to simply marry Joseph and be a good wife but when the angel appeared, and she suddenly was faced with letting go of her dreams for the unknown. Her response was,

 “ I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” (NIV)

Letting go makes us vulnerable to the goodness of God. What Mary traded was much better than anything she could have imagined! She was chosen to be the mother of the Savior and in His death, came resurrection and our access to personal relationship with God. 

Letting go has not been easy for me but I find the more I practice it, the easier it is. It declares my trust in God and  is an act of worship. It is saying “I submit to you and the process you want to take me through.”

 Releasing our plans and the things we hold close, opens us to new possibilities and is a trading time. It allows us to grow in dependance on God and release the illusion of that I am in control of my life or those we love. 

My oldest son graduated from the United States Naval Academy and went straight to the Persian Gulf and later to Iraq. He has been to war twice now and I now know he was made to be one of our nation’s military leaders. It is God’s call on his life and it is wonderful to see him rise to the challenge for our freedom.

Isaiah 12:2 states, “Surely, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” (NIV) I was not real sure I could trust the US Navy with my son, but I could trust God, who loved my son even more than I did.

Proverbs 3:5 instructs us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your path.” (NIV)

What do you need to let go of in your life? Psalms 118:7 states, “The Lord is with me; he is my helper.” (NIV) God is waiting and ready to help in our time of letting go because he loves it when we trust him. And as we trust God with things that are dear to us, we have the opportunity to develop a closer relationship to him and open the door to many possibilities.

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie is a native to the Texas Hill Country, a writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping people discover their value and worth and God’s love. February 26, 2019, at 6:30, she will be leading a Bible study at The Kroc Center called, The Gathering-Bringing God into everyday life. You can register for the event and reach her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com or visit her blog at www.theMaxwellminutes.blogspot.com

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