2 Peter 3:17 CSB
Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stable position.
We are all clingy by nature and have the habit of clinging to things or people that usually have gone past the sell-by date. We cling to old clothing that is too tight, small, big and can no longer wear because we like them, we even hold onto the broken and damaged things to fix them.
How about those relationships and friendships that are no longer serving any purpose or making any impact? According to 2 Corinthians 6:14, we mustn’t remain in relationships that are unequal and detrimental to us in any way.
Sometimes the Lord tells us to let something or someone go as seen in Acts 15:39 but we stubbornly cling and refuse to obey God’s directives, instead of avoiding them as Proverbs 4:14-17 instructs.
We habitually hold on to pain, grudges, malice, old and broken relationships, as well as damaged, and useless things that occupy spaces that could be used for better things. The Lord doesn’t want us to just let go of these things but to not allow them to occupy us, our minds need to be set on things that will edify us and positively affect our emotions, see Colossians 3:2.
The storms of life are sometimes to shake off unwanted things and people from our life, and when or if you don’t allow the shaking, the storm may grow bigger or worse like in Jonah 1:10-13.
Letting go of someone does not mean the end of loving or caring for that person, it simply means God wants you to make room for a new season which usually will need new skill sets, strength, talents, and influences to support you.
Letting go of anything, good or bad can be exceedingly difficult and painful, and it’s not normally so easy to let them go either.
Relationships are great and have so many good rewards for all involved, but we must run from any toxic relationship and negative or ungodly influence that may be detrimental to us in any way, see 1 Timothy 6:10-11, and 1 Corinthians 10:14.
God uses the right people around us to help and bless just as the enemy uses the wrong people to destroy, but we must differentiate and appreciate healthy relationships from toxic ones and be strong enough to let go of such.
Unfortunately, letting go is one of the hardest things to do, it’s easy to hold on to the wrong things and people but remember that if our hands and life are occupied with the wrong things and people, there’ll be no room for the better thing and people God want to bless us with.
Letting go of hurts, regrets, and worry plagues us, while we have all kinds of feelings but remember that God will use these to build us up because He always has something better, but what He has is in front of us and not behind, so let go and keep moving towards Him according to Philippians 3:13-14.
Looking back and holding on will distract us from our tomorrow, the devil will try to remind us of our past mistakes, but don’t allow failures and sin to carry you through life with distractive habits, relationships, and things because you refuse to let them go. Let them go!
Shalom