When You Can’t Let Go

I am sure you’ve been there. The day you put away that last piece of newborn clothing, may have felt like you were laying to rest the best days of your life. The time you had to send your sweet child off to school on the bus, felt like you were saying goodbye forever. Then there is the time you see your daughter walk down the aisle, knowing she will not be coming home that night as your little daughter anymore.

Mama moments that cause many to grieve – literally.

While going through our items in preparation to move, I realize that I sometimes hang onto things for fear of “forgetting” the moment. Forgetting what was, and maybe even at times, wishing for what was.

Those little moments when your child smiles for the first time. When they call you “mama”. When you see the days and years just whizzing by. It’s so hard to just LET GO.

Then I think about what is to come. Even though it may feel like your children are slipping away from the grip of your hand, we are never “done” parenting. I look at the ways that our parents continually invest in our lives, in multiple ways. I look at how they are always offering wisdom and hope in situations. They often are those voices of reason. And now WE have that same opportunity to offer our children.

I sometimes wonder what it will be like to send Mazy off on the bus for the first time. I sometimes think about the days gone by, when I held her sweet little body close to mine, assuring her she is mine forever. I sometimes miss those days. But truthfully speaking, I don’t necessarily wish for that exact moment back, but what I do wish is that she will always feel the love I have for her.

And THAT’S why I think we have a hard time letting go. We have this love for our children that is unexplainable and to see them advance in life, can feel like that love is changing. But no. It’s only growing deeper and as much as they may not realize that now, they will!

Though letting go also has another aspect – releasing our children into the hands of God. I look at the picture of Dan and Mazy above. She is molded into Dan’s hands, yet I can’t help but think this is what our Father wants from us. To release our children into His hands, care, and love, knowing we are stewards over the very gift God has given us in them. We can love them more than we can imagine, but nothing can replace the love God has for them. Nothing can replace the care that God has for them. When we release our children to the Lord, we release our control, and submit to His will, His ways, and His path for us.

I’m not saying it will be an easy peasy road, but it will be a road worth traveling, knowing God is sovereign, His provisions are sure, and His peace is unsurpassing.