Let Go and Let God (Prov 3:5-6)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

“Let Go and Let God” has become a popular mantra in spiritual circles, especially those of 12-step recovery programs.  It is a very simple concept, but a very difficult one to put into practice.  Human nature is tuned to sing “I Did It My Way”.  As a result, our spirituality becomes a tug-of-war between our desire to let God’s will be done and our desire to control the people, places, and things in our life.

The ultimate goal is to let go of all expectations, all resentments, and all negative thoughts and memories.  In short, we need to detach from all things that can stand in the way of our relationship with God and leave us feeling restless, irritable, and/or discontent.

Simply put, our human nature is programmed for self-delusion.  The delusions all of us must face obscure the way we see the world, including our relationship with God.  Some of the more common delusions we must face include (Presence 22.4):

·         I would be more spiritual if my circumstances were different

·         My lack of serenity is due to my circumstances

·         I expect certain outcomes from our spiritual practices

·         My spiritual goals need to be based on my external beliefs

We will discuss each of these delusions in more detail in future posts.  For the time being, suffice it to say, anyone feeling called and/or longing to experience the fullness of a spiritual relationship with God must break the cycle of self-delusion and begin to empty yourself and turn your life and your will to the care of God.  It will likely be an uncomfortable process at first; however, the more the principles are practiced, the more happiness, joyfulness, and freedom will be experienced.

I’ll close this installment with a quote from Meister Eckhart’s ‘The Talk of Instruction’, “Whoever has all his will and what he wants is joyful.  No one has that but he whose will and God's will are one. God grant us this oneness.”  That is letting go and letting God.