When It's Time To Let Go

Me and my dad-circa 1960

Why is letting go so hard? I'm a master at holding on…a wimp at letting go.

My dad died in August of 2011. As of Monday, I still had his clothes in my possession. Four boxes sat in tidy stacks in my garage. I wasn't ready to let go of the physical part of him that remained.

I have our memories, the good and the bad. Fortunately, the bad memories are fading. I've chosen the path of forgiveness. He earned that before he died.

My epiphany came at Christmas this past year. I was reading early on Christmas morning, before everyone else got up, about Jesus giving up Heaven's glory when He came to earth as a baby; how He chose to humble Himself and be born in a cave with animals looking on. As I was reading, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "What about your dad's clothes, are you ready to give those up now?"

I knew the issue wasn't clothes, it was about letting my dad go. But God used that moment to get my attention.

His Son knew all about letting go.

Oswald Chambers says:
"We must build our faith not on fading light but on the Light that never fails. When "important" individuals go away we are sad, until we see that they are meant to go, so that only one thing is left for us to do––to look into the face of God for ourselves."

Me and Dad-circa 2007

My dad was a gentle, humble man. He didn't have many worldly possessions by the time he came to live with me. His clothes and shoes were all he had left and I wanted them to count for something.

I want to imagine him smiling from Heaven. I can see his eyes dancing now…

"But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me…

2 Timothy 4:16-17 NKJV

And this is what I did…

I donated his clothes and shoes to June and Carroll Emery and friends who are having a huge yard sale on Saturday, April 26th, to benefit Christian Learning Centers of the Upstate. I've written about this organization in a previous post.

I think he would be happy to know the funds raised will help children and teens learn about Jesus.

Letting go is a process. It has a different time table for everyone. Be patient with those you love. Give them grace and kindness.

Stay the course and don't let anyone tell you when it's your time to let go. You'll know, and God will direct your steps in how to do it.

He has never failed me. It took thirty-eight years for me to finally grieve and let my mom go. 

Life is a series of grabbing hold and letting go. The key is looking to the Master, walking close enough to hold His hand. One thing you can be sure of, He will never let you go.

Blessings from My Little Corner,

Cindy

P.S. If you live in the Upstate of South Carolina and are interested in the yard sale, please contact me through the blog or Facebook and I'll give you directions on the location of the yard sale. 

My Missions Girls

They are mothers, daughters, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, nurses, teachers, engineers, managers, bookkeepers, caregivers, church goers, music lovers, missions lovers...but most of all they are Jesus lovers.



Our Speaker, June Emery, Front Row on Right

They are my friends and the women I hang out with on the first Monday night of every month...and if I'm blessed, I see them at other times throughout the week since we attend the same church. They are some of the most lovely, dedicated and fun lovin' women you would ever want to spend time with.

We meet to do missions...


Don't we look like a fun group?

hands on

in the trenches

whatever the need is

missions...

For that is what we are commanded to do when Jesus said, "love your neighbor as yourselves." We also pray for missionaries on foreign lands and we pray for our own and everyone in between...and in the process we are the ones who are blessed.

One of the things I love most about our group is the variety of our ages. My own daughter who is only 24 years of age has joined our little band of missionaries and she gives us a different perspective than our oldest who is 70 something. I believe this a beautiful picture of Titus 2 where the older women are given instruction on teaching the younger in their midst.

Some of our recent ministry projects include pajamas for children taken suddenly into DSS custody, tea party for Under His Wings residents, hymn singing at The Garden House(an assisted living facility), prisoner packets, goodie bags for workers for Virginia mission trip, Pure Water Pure Love-puts filtered water systems in place for foreign missionaries, we collected soap for New Foundations, Craft Night at Under His Wings and are regular hostesses for Oil Change Ministry.

At our most recent meeting this week, we had a guest speaker, Mrs. June Emery. She came to speak to us about the Christian Learning Centers of the Upstate. This is an organization that sponsors "Released Time" in our public school systems in the upstate of South Carolina. This allows students to be picked up and taken to a location off campus to study the Bible for one hour. High school students can actually earn one credit hour toward graduation from a public institution in our state. She gave a very informative talk and several ways in which our group can get involved, one of which is to let the public know about this amazing program. The statistics alone are worth it being in every school in the state of South Carolina...but we could have told them that without any statistics. Here is their website for more detailed info www.upstatereleasedtimeinfo.com. God said His Word doesn't return void. "So is my Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11 NIV

If you live in my area and want to get involved with a group of ladies who love Jesus and others then contact me through my blog or on Facebook. We are always looking for new members...no requirements necessary except willing hands and heart. I would love to hear from you. There is a world out there who needs to know the Good News and we need to tell them.

Blessings from My Little Corner,
Cindy