Let it Go!

Well, just like every other family in the US (and across the World) with adolescent members our family has been bitten by the "Frozen" bug, including the purchase of the movie soundtrack which has played dozens of times in the family car on recent trips.  Yep!  It's official...we're addicted! We love it and we know the words to all the songs and sing them loudly and proudly driving down the road. (I might even be guilty of it playing even when the kids are NOT in the car...maybe!)  Although all the songs are fun, the theme song, "Let It Go" has become a cultural phenomenon. It's the basis of parodies, contests, kids events...you name it, it's probably been tied to "Let it Go" ...and now my blog!
I have to tell you that when I first heard the song, one of my initial thoughts was "what a cool"concept for a song. Not just because of the movie but just the concept of actually letting go of the thing that is holding you back. In the movie, the princess, Elsa, feels free because she if finally able to be herself and LET GO of a secret that had literally held her captive her entire life.  And for the first time in her life she could be who she is and not worry about what anyone thought of her.

Some of the lyrics are (just in case you don't have them memorized like we do):
Don't let them in, Don't let them see, Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know, but now they know...
 It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me, Can't get to me at all
Let it Go, Let it Go... Can't hold it back anymore
I don't care what they're going to say

  So many times in our lives we could move forward so much sooner if we would learn to just LET GO of what is holding us back.  It can be something in your past, your present or something your hoping for in the future.  They all can have a hold on you that is actually preventing you from moving forward and living the destiny you are meant to live.  I know there have been times in my life where I held on to fear and anxiety that I was experiencing in the present ABOUT the future that was crippling and it prevented me from enjoying life now or planning for things to come.  There have also been times that I have been so ashamed of things in my past (afraid of people knowing the real me) that I put up walls to prevent anyone from getting close and sat back -- not doing the things God called me to -- because if people really knew who I was they would never want to listen to anything I might have to say (or sing).  That's the reason it has become so important to me to speak to women (and men) about the necessity of getting PAST their PAST and moving forward in freedom that only comes from LETTING GO!  There is no way to go forward when you are continuously walking backwards. We have to let go of guilt, shame, fear, anxiety, embarrassment, feelings of inadequacy, insecurities...all those negative feelings the enemy loves to keep in the forefront of our minds.  We truly have to LET IT GO ... let them all go!  We have to focus on things that are true and good report as Philippians reminds us to do.
So, today it's time for YOU to LET GO of everything that is holding you back and not care what others say. It's time to step into your future and believe what your Creator says about you and walk into His plan and future for your life!

God is our ARK!

I'm thinking today of a couple of songs...
One is a worship song that came out a few years ago that says, "Let it Rain, Let it Rain...Open the flood gates of Heaven." The other is a song I have sang for the past 15 years or so (and has been recorded by several Southern gospel groups) titled "Just Another Rainy Day." I guess it's the dreary rainy day that is outside that brought those songs (and I'm sure I could think of several more) to my mind. But, it got me thinking about the reasons for rain...not the physical rain that helps water the crops and plants outside but the spiritual rain and "rainy days" in our lives.

The first rain ever recorded that occurred on the Earth was noted during the story of Noah in the Bible.  Before that time the world had never seen rain and that's why people thought Noah was crazy for building a boat for something they didn't even have a comprehension of.  Unfortunately, the first rain ever was used by God to cleanse the Earth completely because it had become so evil. He spared the one man He could find righteous in His eyes and allowed him and his family to live.   God used the PHYSICAL rain for a spiritual cleansing but afterward made a promise that it will never happen again.

In my life there are days that I feel the rain pouring down on me.  There are days I wish I had an ark I could close myself into to protect me from the storms that rage around me but sometimes it's not possible (in the physical sense).  It is however, possible in the spiritual sense.  Those are the days I have to look to God to be the ark that surrounds me and protects me.  Although Noah and his family were protected by the ark around them, they still had to go through the 40 days and nights of the rain that surrounded them.  The ark didn't keep them out of the rain...it PROTECTED them FROM the rain.  Our lives are the same way.  When all around us all we see are the storms of life pounding down on us, we can go to our ARK and know that although we may still have to face the storm, God will protect us from it and will bring us through to the other side. Sometimes it's necessary to face the rain in order to get to the PROMISE that God has for us.

You may be facing a storm in your life that seems to be destroying all that is around you and you feel like you are drowning.  Now is a good time to go to the ARK and seek shelter!  It doesn't mean the storm isn't still there but He does provide HOPE and comfort to know you are protected from the rain and that on the other side God has promised a future with HIM and He has a promise to never leave or forsake you...especially in the middle of a raging storm!!!