Let Go, Let Be, Let Come Part 2

 

Yesterday, we prayerfully played with the idea of letting go, letting be, and letting come.  This cuts against the grain of the gospels of the world, where we are to be in charge and control.  During Holy Week, I introduced you to Hartmut Rosa, who says that we cannot manifest everything in our lives.  Yes, you can plot, plan, and put together a vision board, but in the boat of your life, the wind will blow without your permission.  We are continually told that we have great power.  That is true, I can decide what to eat, wear, live, write in these morning meditations, when to speak up, and when to stay silent, when to show up, and when to binge-watch something on the internet.  I have a choice.  But I don’t control the weather or whether people respond positively or negatively to this post.  Jesus, God incarnate and in the flesh, followed God’s self-emptying pattern by letting go, letting be, and letting come.  Jesus didn’t exploit his God-given image for his own profit and privilege.  Some today in our culture would think, “What a waste!  He could have been famous and had millions of followers.”  Only Jesus still does compel our hearts, not with force but with faith.  Jesus still “gospels” my life by showing me that the ways of this world will not fill me with the Spirit, but empty me and my wallet in service to the bottom line.  Let go, let be, and let come prayer practice reminds me that I am not the only author of my life.  God co-authors my story and seeks to re-author what I tell myself each day. 

 

Form a fist again.  What did you write down yesterday that annoys you or that you are arguing with?  Is there something new today?  What do you resist (because that will persist in your life) when it comes to the fact that you don’t make the wind blow in the sail of life?

 

Now release your fists to let go, knowing and trusting that whatever the ache or annoyance is, it is still there. Sometimes, when we let go of the grasshopper or cricket, it doesn’t immediately flee or leave but lingers.  When we release, we make space for being curious.  I wonder why I resist that person or situation?  I wonder why I cling to that ache?  I wonder why…fill in the blank with what you are carrying today.  When we let go, that doesn’t mean we give up or throw up our hands, but that we hold lightly and let the light of God’s love into the darkness of our fists.

 

As you open your hand, what else wants space to be there?  Sometimes we think we are clinging to one thing, only to open our hands to discover there were many things we didn’t know were there.  When you open your hand, are you willing to consider the exact opposite thought you’ve been clinging to and carrying around?  That is, if I am holding onto the hurt of some jerk who said something to me, when I release my fist, could it be that this fellow featherless biped might also be angry and lashing out at me because of his own pain?  Remember that great phrase, “Hurting people hurt people.”  When someone else has a fist, of course, they are going to cause pain when they come at you.  What else wants room in your open hand? Could it be the exact opposite of what you assumed was true?

 

Finally, let come.  Just as no word, image, idea, or thought can ever contain or confine God, nor can I tell you what will happen next year, next week, or even later today.  I might have a good idea, but there is an uncontrollability to life that our modern-day gospels resist, reject, and refute continually while trying to sell you something.  Keep prayerfully practicing this letting go, letting be, letting come with your hands and your souls opening to the Spirit.