by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Having the Courage to Let Go

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Loveland, Colorado is known for its sculpture gardens, one of them is close to I-25 called Chupunga. All of the sculptures in this park have been crafted by Zimbabwean artists.  This one is entitled, “Who Is Strongest?” Underneath the title is the sentence, “This cannot last forever–surely one of us must give in!”

I have a feeling that the next time I visit the Chupunga sculpture garden these two children will still be tugging at each other. They will still be fighting for dominance. Does that look familiar? Are you involved in struggle of wills?

One of you will have to give in!

“Don’t act out of selfish ambition or be conceited. Instead, humbly think of others as being better than yourselves.”
Philippians 2:3 God’s Word to the Nations

One of us has to let go. The problem is that it’s hard to let go especially when we’re convinced that we’re right. We have to ask ourselves the question, is being right more important than the relationship? We can’t let go if the gospel is at stake, but with most other issues, the relationship ought to be more important than being right.

Maybe we need to ask ourselves why it’s so important to be right? The answer often has to do with our egos and nothing with the argument. In fact, if we take a few steps back from the issue we might see the damage we’re doing to another person by demanding that we’re right.

Jesus is the one who let go of all his rights as God that we might be saved. He emptied himself and as a result we have life in his name. Maybe letting go can bring life to another person. After all, there’s freedom in letting go.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado