Letting Go
Posted on: March 22, 2016
- In: Everyday Life | Faith
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Spring has arrived and change along with it as I find myself preparing to sell my home.
The past week or so has been a whirlwind of arranging appointments with tradespeople and sorting my belongings. I’ve packed a couple of dozen boxes, donated a dozen bags to the St. Vincent de Paul bin at my church, and set aside a pile of craft supplies for my nieces.
Downsizing from my bungalow to a condo is proving to be a challenge. As I sort through twenty years of accumulated belongings, it seems as though each item has a memory attached to it and letting go hurts a little bit. A lot, in some cases.
Sometimes these seasons of change come by choice and at other times, unexpectedly. In either case, we need to lean on God and find in him the courage to let go of the less important things so that we can move forward.
We need to remember that our belongings don’t contain our memories–our hearts do. Even if the memories are bittersweet, we can be thankful for the joy God has allowed us to know and maybe even find ourselves anticipating what lies ahead.
The biggest lesson for me in all of this? Learning to reach out for help or connect by phone, by text or in person when I need to. In times of change, we need to be unafraid to rely on others. Most of all, we need to lean into our faith, trusting that God will carry us when we feel we can’t keep going.
Whatever winds of change may be blowing in our lives, I pray that we would remember these words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13:
I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
(*Scripture quote taken from the Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition.)
A Catholic Convert in Ottawa 