March 31, 2023
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
– attributed to Albert Einstein
There’s a phrase that people in recovery use when they’re confronting what seems an insurmountable challenge: “Let go and let God.” Or they might say, “Get out of the driver’s seat.”
However, the challenge is often that most of us, being human, wait until we’re on the verge of despair and standing at the edge of a precipice before we let go and let God. We white-knuckle our way through a crisis. We can’t get out of the driver’s seat because we think the harder we try, the better our chance for success. But in some situations that formula doesn’t work.
You see, there’s a fundamental principle of the spiritual life — God has a plan and it’s better than your plan. But instead of being our first resort, God becomes our last resort, after most of the damage has been self-inflicted. We only turn to God after we’ve exhausted every other imaginable alternative … with absolutely no success.
In grief, you will encounter quite a few situations where the best approach is to let go and let God. Don’t resist. Letting go is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. And his services are free.
Give it to God when you can’t handle it. Let him do the worrying and the heavy lifting. He’s more than willing, especially when it concerns anxiety about the future and the uncertainties that lie ahead after someone you love has died. God will take care of the future if you give him a chance.
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Author and businesswoman Mary C. Crowley once said, “Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He’s going to be up all night anyway.”