Breathe, Let Go!

Breathe out your distress,
breathe in my caress,
the nourishing air
of my Spirit’s care
for your soul.

Let your head rest
in peace on my chest
the one place where
you can safely dare
to let go!

That word from my Father has comforted me over and over. He truly wants us to come to him, lie against him in trust, and let go.

“Let it Go” is even a very popular song with kids, especially little girls, right now. It speaks to them. Why worry about what other people think? Just be you.

For those of us who are God’s children, this expression goes much deeper. It is “learning the lessons of letting go so that you will be prepared for the final letting go of death”—that is the last item in the long list of God-given fruit of the practice of “detachment” provided by Adele Calhoun.[1] It’s true that we are fragile humans, with a limited life span. But we also want to know how to live in this moment free of care, trusting outcomes to God rather than ourselves.

David’s heart cry speaks to me:

My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty;  I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.  ² But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. ³ Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore. (Ps. 131:1–3 NIV)

When I was studying Hebrew at seminary, one of just two women in the company of men in a certain class, this psalm was being discussed in the context of translation. The male professor mentioned that he thought the idea of the child being “weaned” was not important, just the fact that this was a little kid, at rest on his mom. I realized that few of the students there would have ever experienced breast-feeding a child, even if it was their wife doing it. And I knew that each of my three children, while still nursing, would tend to root around for more of that good milk when I would pick them up and try to just cuddle them. Once they were weaned, they were more apt to lie quietly against me, no longer fussing for food. So I raised my hand and offered that experience. Ah! There was a sigh of appreciation from some in the room The expression “like a weaned child” actually had relevance! (I’ve seen this in commentaries since then, too!)

And it underlined the precious message of this psalm for me. Even when leaning against a father’s chest (or a grandfather’s chest as in the photo above), a weaned baby is more likely to just relax. My God, my caring Parent, wants to cuddle me, to hold me close and let me “let go” of whatever is concerning me and instead to put my hope, my trust, in him. If people are judging me in a hurtful way, if I am being misunderstood, I can let go of my need for approval and rest in the unshakeable love of Abba. If the world around me is falling apart, there is one safe secure place where I am held. He is the one to run to:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3 NIV)

His compassion is his tender concern for us when we are in a difficult situation, suffering. And he not only feels that deep emotion for us, he knows what to do to console us. He does not just stand far off and think about it; he is ready to protect and soothe us. Remember that hymn by Charles Wesley?

Jesus, lover of my soul,

Let me to Thy bosom fly,

While the nearer waters roll,

While the tempest still is high!

Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,

Till the storm of life is past,

Safe into the haven guide,

O receive my soul at last!

It is right there in the second line: “let me to thy bosom fly!”  Jesus and the Father are one, and their love makes their “chest” the best place to relax and find safe release. Because God is who he is—completely good, reliable, trustworthy, forgiving, compassionate, wise—we can turn to him, letting go of our need to be in control and fix things, and just completely “let go.” This is a key element in the spiritual practice of “detachment.” We put the Father in charge. He will comfort us and let us know what we should do next:

This God, our God forever and ever– He will always lead us.” (Ps. 48.14 CSB)

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Cor. 13:14 NIV)

We have this gracious gift offered to us through Jesus. The love of God calls out to us to come. The Spirit of God lives in us, our companion and counselor, ready to help whenever needed, walking through life with us.

So take this moment to crawl up onto God’s lap and rest. Just be quiet. “Let go!” It can only draw us ever closer to him!

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[1] Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us. (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Books, 2005), 95.