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Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.     –Isaiah 43:18-19

  I love this. For some reason when I read it, its like seeing a wise old grandparent smiling at a child who cannot see what is a simple truth, and saying in a kindly voice, “Oh child, you can let go of that tattered blanket that you are clutching….it doesn’t keep you warm, or serve the purpose that you need. If you let go of it, you will be open to receive something new and better… something that is warm, and made to fully cover you!”

It really is a simple truth, yet sometimes we just can become blind to it. If we keep clutching the wrong thing…. our arms, heart, and mind are closed to receiving something new…. the right thing.

   “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.”

  Let it go. Its a message to free ourselves of what is not serving us, and anything that is holding us back from being where we should be, being who we should be, and achieving what we should. It could be a situation that is not working for us, a relationship that is misfigured, a career path that is making us unhappy…..but it could also be guilt, anger, resentment—negative emotions and mindsets that keep us from progressing. Mistakes. So often we beat ourselves up over past mis-steps in ways that keep us chained to the situation, and fearful to try again. We also tend to cling to, and continue on with our mistakes, and situations that are not really meant for us …out of hopes of somehow turning it around (or not wanting to even admit it is a mistake), and being afraid of losing the perceived time and investment. We fear if we let go of it, that there will be nothing else for us—that we will be empty-handed (we sometimes would rather clutch something that hurts our hands, than have them be empty). We have to have the courage to recognize mistakes, and step-away… otherwise we risk staying on the wrong path that will just keep leading us to more mistakes one after the other. In reality, the longer we cling to something that is wrong, the more damage that will happen, and the longer (and harder) it will be to turn ourselves around—and to have our arms free to receive something that is right.

  We are supposed to trust Heavenly Father. Trust his timing, his plan, his knowledge of what is best for us, and what we truly need. Our own understanding is limited, and often clouded by temporary desires, fear, inner noise etc….We often try to deceive ourselves, and block out both the voice of our own core self, and that of the Spirit when we are being told to set something down— that it is not what is right for us. We can bury those nudges and promptings, try to convince ourselves it is just our fears speaking… but true promptings will keep resurfacing until we act on them (no matter how hard we work to ignore the things we do not want to see and hear). We may creates excuses, or tell ourselves the nudges are just our fears of failure, but often it is our way of hiding the truth from ourselves that what we really fear is listening, obeying, and letting go—we so desperately want to cling, and believe that we can make the wrong thing work. It can be scary to relinquish ourselves to that trust in God ( and promptings), and risk those empty hands……but it is that very trust that can free us, set our feet on the right path, and bring the best blessings truly meant for us. We cannot progress if we limit our own selves, and do not even let Heavenly Father help us.

  Sometimes we continue to hold on to our mistakes, or things that do not fit us…. because we want to believe that if we have faith, that thing will somehow be made “right”, and then it will all work out. However, that is not always how it works. Sometimes that is the exact opposite of having faith/ trust in God. At times, it could be that we ignore his promptings, and continue to cling out of our own fears, and lack of faith. We fail to have faith that if we let go, he will provide us with something better suited to what we truly need. Its akin to clutching to a duck, and telling ourselves that if we keep holding on to it, and pray really hard, and have faith…. God will turn it into the unicorn that we really want, and need. In reality, we need to let go of the duck……so that God can give us the unicorn. Its all about true trust, and faith, and being able to recognize when we are letting our fears misguide, and trap us.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

 This is basically a promise. If we let go, if we have trust…. he will always bring us something new, something beautiful. “Shall ye not know it?” Seems to be like asking, ” Do you not trust me? Can you not see I want good things for you, and will provide what you need?”

  He will bring us that new thing, no matter how dark or impossible we may think it is to do so. We may see barren desert with no water in sight, a fortress of wilderness blocking us from love…. but he will be able to cut through all of that, and provide us with what it is we truly need. Once again, our perceptions are limited… and our sense of obstacles, or fears that nothing else will be available for us….could very well be wrong, and restrictive. We have to trust that he will provide, no matter how scared we are, or how bleak it looks to our eyes.

 At times, it could even be a test of sorts. A means to teach us so that we can build in our faith and trust. If everything is just handed to us, if he turns all our ducks into unicorns….how would we learn and grow? True trust, is when you can let go, let yourself fall backwards…. and have faith that arms will catch you. If we remain rigid, and cling… if we are not able to let go…. then we are telling him that we do not really have faith in him. Its a harsh thing to think of, but so very true. Its just like the “trust fall” experiment—if you stagger, catch yourself, or even completely refuse to let go/ let yourself fall back…. you communicate to the other person that you do not have trust in their ability to catch, and protect you. So what does it say to Heavenly Father when we ignore the promptings to let go of something not meant for us, and refuse to let him catch us, and provide for us?

  It is scary. It is hard. It is supposed to be.

In order to grow, improve, and be open to receive the things meant for us…. we have to let go of the things that hold us back, and send us into the wrong directions. Mistakes teach us what is wrong, and what hurts us… so that we can truly know first-hand what is right for us, and where we should be, and where we should put our trust. Mistakes teach us how to trust, and the need for it…. but we have to let go in order to learn that. Following promptings, and letting go…. is how we demonstrate, and live our faith. It is how we open our door, and our arms… to Him. He will always provide.