“…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run…” Hebrews 12:1
Some of the best advice I’ve heard was from a sassy preacher’s wife in south Louisiana. She was speaking to a group of women about getting free from a past offense. Her advice: “Build a bridge and get over it!” Her point was that freedom is sometimes as simple as letting go. Hanging onto anything that is not God’s destiny for us is a weight that God doesn’t want us to carry. It’s a weight that we chain to ourselves, hindering or even stopping us from fulfilling our purpose.
Why would we stay in the past and not build a bridge that would help us move into our future? There are various reasons, but one thing is for certain, any motive for not moving forward has its roots in self-centeredness. Those motives are holding us back from the freedom to grow, freedom to increase, freedom to live, and freedom to run our race.
If we don’t want to forgive, we’re thinking about us. If we covet something that belongs to someone else, we’re thinking about us. If we’re afraid that someone will judge us, we’re thinking about us. If we’re afraid of failing, we’re thinking about us. If we’re afraid of succeeding, we’re thinking about us. If we don’t accept God’s free gifts of redemption, restoration, forgiveness, healing, peace, joy, and more; then we’re thinking about what we can do to earn or deserve them; we’re thinking about us.
God wants us to be free to move ahead in freedom. That means we have to come to the end of ourselves and let go. Let go of the past! Let go of hurts! Let go of a denied desire! Let go of fear! Let go of shame! Let of mistakes! Let go of false expectations! The good news is that we aren’t alone. God will meet us where we are and help us to get over ourselves and lead us into a wonderful and glorious future with Him.
Application: When Israel left the slavery of Egypt, they crossed the Red Sea to get to freedom. When their enslavers followed them with the intention of bringing them back into slavery, the Lord caused the Red Sea to fall in on them, cutting off their grip on His people. It is the power of God through the Holy Spirit that frees us. We only need to make the “Red Sea choice” to be free, and God will perform the miracles necessary to honor your choice to move forward in Him. If there is anything gripping you today, make the choice to let go and let God do the rest.