Once upon a time, or as most tales go, a young gal with a heart full of love and compassion heard a story that made her very sad. Being two pennies short of common sense, she came to believe that she could fix this problem and therefore set herself up as a shield of protection.
Forgetting the words of John the Baptist,
“I am not the Christ.”
she stretched out her arms
and stood in the gap
between those who threatened harm
and the one she was protecting.
If she just tried hard enough,
she believed or fought hard enough,
protected long enough,
everything would be okay.
Only everything wasn’t okay. The harder she stood her ground, the harder they fought and the more he seemed to need her. The more she did to protect him, the less he seemed willing to do for himself and the less honest he became.
Once she realized that no man
carries a burden that someone else
is willing to bear or faces a truth
that no one is willing to tell him
and that he’d grown weaker
and not stronger like she’d hoped,
she laid down his cross
and took up her own.
She meant well and it almost cost her life. In time she remembered the words of the one in the desert. The one who’s role was to make straight the crooked path, and point believers to the one who would come after him. She remembered that “standing in the gap” means standing in prayer and support, not in self-sacrifice.
She found a note one day, written just for her and other two-penny-short friends who mean well. Together, she and her new friends, trudged the road of happy destiny. They laughed, leaned on each other, and stayed under the protective wings of the God they no longer needed to pretend to be.
Letting Go
- To “Let Go” does not mean to stop caring, it means I can’t do it for someone else.
- To “Let Go” is not to cut myself off, it’s the realization I can’t control another. To “Let Go” is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences.
- To “Let Go” is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.
- To “Let Go” is not to try to change or blame another, it’s to make the most of myself.
- To “Let Go” is not to care for, but to care about.
- To “Let Go” is not to fix, but to be supportive.
- To “Let Go” is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.
- To “Let Go” is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their own destinies.
- To “Let Go” is not to be protective, it is to permit another to face reality.
- To “Let Go” is not to deny, but to accept.
- To “Let Go” is not to nag, scold or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
- To “Let Go” is not to adjust everything to my desires but to take each day as it comes, and cherish myself in it.
- To “Let Go” is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.
- To “Let Go” is to fear less and love more. – Unknown.
Letting Go – is my knowing that I cannot play God and believe in God at the same time.
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Al-Anon If someone’s drinking is causing you pain, Al-Anon can help
S-Anon S-Anon is a program of recovery for those who have been affected by someone else’s sexual behavior.
Sanity Support: Do you have an adult child who is breaking your heart? An aging parent taking up your whole life? A problem with food? A co-worker making you hate your job? Learn how you can find SANITY and take back your life.
This post written by Deana O’Hara for Redemption’s Heart. July 22 2009 and may not be copied in any way shape or form.
Deana O'Hara - Speaker, Comedian, Writer 
Excellent post. I’m dealing with many of these issues as well..
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I really like what you guys are up too. Such clever work and coverage!
Keep upp the ggood works guys I’ve you guys to blogroll.
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I am sorry to hear that. Letting go of people we care about, is very hard. Rating for peace.
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I just figure out what letting go means..thats why it is hard for me..some things i still cant accept.. but i love him and i am willing to let it all go.. i just find it hard..pls advice
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Love it, so right. Letting go and letting God do what He needs to do.
Please pray for my dear friend that just got notified he has brain cancer AND lung cancer. I gave him healing scriptures and he says that he reads them all of the time, but not sure of who God is. Obviously God is pulling on him. He goes tomorrow to find out if the radiation treatments have done anything. He is upbeat, but my heart breaks because he does not know the King of Kings. Thanks!
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Will do. Prayers heading your’s and his way.
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My heart is saddened, the doctors told him that there is nothing they can do. But he is reading scripture all of the time. Amazing what one clings to when the hope of the world is bleak.
Thanks for your prayers.
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Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long
as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage? My blog site is in the very same area of
interest as yours and my visitors would really benefit from some of the
information you provide here. Please let me know if this okay with you.
Thanks a lot!
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My partner and I stumbled over here by a different web page and thought I might as well check things out.
I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to looking into your web page repeatedly.
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OH, how I needed to read this – I’m one of your new subscribers. This is a lifetime lesson for me…every single day…Thank you, Deana. You are not just a God-follower, you are a Christ-Seeker.
Thank you!
Weltha
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It’s the same for me. Thank you for subscribing — and commenting. Hope you have a great day.
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[…] to my sight log, people are searching for How to Let Go, How to Say I’m Sorry, and What their Identity in Christ is. Those are my top posts every […]
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Let Go and Let God are words that sound so simple to follow, but a lifetime of learning. Life continually changes and challenges us to trust the Lord at a deeper level. My favorite words to say when faced with trials ~ “It is not over”. God has a plan for our lifes and a plan for the loved ones around us. He is continually working out good in the lifes of those who love Him. (That good includes the ones who we love who are lost and hurting) Being faithful to Him and watching Him work in mighty ways frees us to love others as God loves us.
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Mama Bear thank you for commenting! — I used to know someone who went by that handle on the WOF board.. would that be you by any chance? Either way, I love what you wrote, “It’s not over” is a wonderful word of encouragement. Thank you so much for stopping by.
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Hi just came across your site and been reading, do you also run another a pet related site that looks exactly like this one?
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Francisco, thank you for visiting my blog – I do not at this time run a pet related site. Perhaps they are using the same WordPress theme I do.
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[…] Letting Go a lot. I’m not sure why. other than I wrote a short piece on it a while back. (http://deanaohara.com/2009/07/11/letting-go-let-go-and-let-god/) Hotlinking isn’t working tonight, not sure why – so I provided the full link for you […]
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This piece gets hit multiple times a day. Please leave me a comment and let me know if this gives you what you are looking for or if you wanted more answers. Or just please let me know who you are, and what it is your trying to let go of..Thanks.
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[…] do find it interesting looking back at 2009, that my top two stories were on Letting Go and Understanding our Identity in Christ, By: Cj Rapp. Both received hundreds of hits a piece and […]
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Deana,
This so fits to what is happening now with our church. We are studying James where we need to let go of what is keeping us from walking with Him. We let our addictions and our offenses send us into directions God never intended for us to go.
Love what you wrote!
Cheryl
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