Let It Go
“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,”
he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this
great storm has come upon you.”
Instead, the men did their best to row
back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.
Then they cried out to the LORD, “Please, LORD, do not let us die for taking
this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you,
LORD, have done as you pleased.” – Jonah 1:12-14
It’s an awful situation. She has been to doctor after
doctor. She has taken medication after medication. The sad truth is she is
happy to live in her misery.
He has done all that he can. His life revolves around
her doctor appointments. He has become her caregiver. He shops, cooks and
cleans their home. He tenderly wraps a jacket around her shoulders. He caters
to her every whim. She doesn’t appreciate what he does. If anything, she shoves
him away.
He wants desperately to “fix” her, to turn their life
back into what it once was. They are at a stalemate, neither happy, but neither
able to change what is or let go of what could be.
The hardest part of life can be releasing expectations
and accepting what you can’t change. The biggest hurt can come when you watch
someone you love choose things that ultimately will kill them. If you aren’t
careful, bitterness will take root as others point fingers and cast blame for a
situation you are powerless to change.
Jonah had brought God’s wrath on all of those on the
ship. He was determined to run from the task God had called him to. But you can’t
run from God and there are consequences when you try.
Still, those on the ship wanted to save Jonah. I
suppose it was more for themselves than for him. They didn’t want God’s wrath
to fall on them if they tossed him overboard. Yet, that’s exactly what they
did. It was necessary to save themselves.
The blunt truth is that those on Jonah’s ship couldn’t
save him. God was determined to force Jonah to His will and Jonah would suffer
until he submitted to God. Oftentimes, we try to force our will on someone
else. We try to “fix” them and become heartbroken when it doesn’t work. We can’t
seem to accept that it’s not our job to save people or change them.
One of the hardest things I’ve ever done is let go of
someone I couldn’t fix. I gave this person to God. I walked beside them for as
long as I could, helping and loving and caring. But in the end their tussle was
with God.
It’s easy to think that if we try hard enough, love
deep enough, work hard enough, we can fix the lives of those we love. We can’t.
Let it go. Do what you can and trust God with the rest. The alternative will
destroy you both.
