Let Go and Let God
| This past summer our newsletters discussed the 3 C’s of addiction: We didn’t cause it, we can’t control it, and we can’t cure it. When we start to understand this, we can then begin to believe that God can take care of us and our loved ones – and we can trust him to do so. When we worry and obsess over a situation or a person, we make ourselves sick mentally, emotionally and even physically. Using the slogan “Let Go and Let God” can remind us that our only reasonable solution is to turn the situation over to a power greater than ourselves and let him take care of it all. I use this slogan often because I need to remember to trust God to take care of the people and situations that I care about. I start by recognizing that I’m powerless over people, places, and things and that my desire to control them makes my life unmanageable. Then I remember that God can restore me to sanity, and I make a decision to turn it all over to his care. In this way I can “Let Go and Let God.” “When we put this slogan to work, we get out of the way. We let go of the problem, the need to know what will happen and when, the obsession with other people’s choices, the thoughts and concerns that waste our time and energy because we cannot resolve them by ourselves. And we let God take care of them.”* So how do we “let go”? In theory, it all sounds so nice and simple, but it’s often very emotionally challenging. Some practical ideas I’ve heard from others in the Al-Anon program are: using a “God box” where I write the person’s name or the situation on a paper and put it in a box labelled “God box.” When the worry comes back, I remind myself that I’ve already left it with God. I can also take that paper and burn it in a fireplace or let it fly off into the wind. Another idea is to visualize myself putting the person into a large basket and handing it over to God (and then taking my hands off the basket!). In this way my actions reinforce my desire to leave it all with God. It brings me great relief when I accept that I don’t have to know what’s going on or how things will work out. When I let go of the need to control, and trust that God always knows better than I do, my mind and heart are much more peaceful. “When I can finally persuade myself to let go of a problem that has been tormenting me, solutions begin to unfold that I never dreamed were possible. This should convince me that my human understanding does have limits – that there are things I can’t figure out by myself. Only then I will let go – and trust a Higher Power for help. Such an experience – seeing things happen that I did not bring to pass – should prove to me that another person’s actions and fate are not in my hands. The sooner I accept this, the sooner good things will begin to unfold in my own life.”^ I wish you increasing peace and serenity as you “Let Go and Let God.” |
From: How Al-Anon Works for Families & Friends of Alcoholics, copyright 2008, by Al‑Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Al‑Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., page 75
^From One Day At aTime, copyright 1973, by Al‑Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Al‑Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., page 107
| QUOTES: “This slogan gives us permission to replace stress, worry, and suffering with serenity and faith.” ~How Al-Anon Works for Family and Friends of Alcoholics, page 75 “When you let go, something magical happens. You give God room to work. ” ~Mandy Hale “Let go and let God. Let God take over your life and run it. He knows how.” ~Norman Vincent Peale “Faith is having the courage to let God have control.” ~Anonymous “For we are now on a different basis; the basis of trusting and relying on God. We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves.” ~Alcoholics Anonymous page 68 “Give it to God and go to sleep.” ~Spiritual Inspiration |
