I Release and I Let Go

The Gift of Letting Go

I moved a few months ago. As my husband and I were packing up, we decided what to bring along and what to leave behind. There’s nothing like moving to help overcome the inertia that so often impedes decluttering. We donated and sold lots of things, but after we arrived at our new place, I wish we had let go of even more.

The reason is simple. The items that filled our old house didn’t fit the same way in our new one. As we unpacked, we discovered not only did we not have the space for many items, but we could get along just fine without them. After we unpacked and set up our new house, there were more trips to donation centers to unload those items we shouldn’t have brought with us.

This experience has been on my mind as I’ve been working with this year’s Lent booklet from Unity, 40 Days of Letting Go . I’ve discovered an interesting parallel: Letting go is a necessary part of life, and it’s also a necessary part of spiritual living.

Imagine what your house would look like if you never got rid of anything. Décor would be worn and out of style. Closets and dresser drawers would be filled to bursting with clothes that were out of fashion or no longer fit. There would be no room for anything new to come in.

Now imagine your inner life if you never purged your mind of old beliefs and your heart of bitter feelings. You might find yourself weighed down by painful memories of harsh words, resentments, conflicts, broken relationships, and missed opportunities. Worse, there wouldn’t be room for positive, life-affirming thoughts and beliefs to come in.

One of the best ways to participate in life and to feel fully alive is by regularly letting go.

Getting rid of that which no longer fits feels good. I shared an experience I had last year when I released several items by putting them back into circulation. There’s another piece to it, of course. Releasing is a spiritual practice, a discipline that, once mastered, changes us from the inside out. Life is always in motion. Change is a constant. One of the best ways to participate in life and to feel fully alive is by regularly letting go.

Releasing attachment to the past and anxiety about the future places you squarely in the present. This is where your freedom is. Release and claim the freedom to choose what to think, which beliefs to hold, and how to direct those thoughts and beliefs to create your life.

This is one of Lent’s greatest gifts. Releasing is a clearing away of all that is no longer needed, all that is preventing you from moving forward and fully participating in life. Lent is the preparation for the glory and rebirth of Easter. How much more glorious this rebirth is without bearing the weight of the past or carrying dread of the future.

You are a divine being, meant to live fully and freely. Release again and again to know your divine nature, use your creative power, and claim your place in the dynamic flow of life.