The Power of Letting Go

Remember that overused song, "Let It Go"?

Oh, you do?

 

Yeah, me too.

 

I kind of wish that song wasn't overdone on every Youtube channel and Facebook page and meme on Pinterest because I actually really love it.

 

When I sing it around the house, I belt it as loud as I can.

Because I know.

I know what the power of letting go can do for a person.

I have been the recipient of some pretty painful experiences brought on by the choices of others and although it hasn't been easy, I have seen the power of letting go of anger and turning that into empathy.

And I don't use the word power lightly.

 

When you are able to let go of the anger you have toward another person, you start to see them as a person who has faults, just like you and I. You start to recognize that the hurt they have caused is probably due to a more deep rooted problem and wasn't specifically directed at you.

 

I know for me, the person who has hurt me the most is a person I can relate to now. I understand him. I see the choices he has made and I could've been the one to make those same choices if I had been in his situation. I understand the fear of losing everyone you love. I understand the fear of shame and judgement. I get it.

 

I hate that I get it.

 

I hate that he felt that way.

 

I hate that so many people endure these same fears on a daily basis.

 

The second I let go of my anger, it became clear why this past year played out the way that it did.

I still don't love it. And I still wish I could've done something to change it.

But it wasn't mine to change.

 

The only thing I can do now is try to understand the situation and have empathy for everyone who was involved---and for me, that includes my ex-husband.

It includes the heartache my children have faced.

And it includes having empathy for myself.

 

When I make a wrong choice or I say something really stupid, I am going to try and have empathy for this imperfect person that I am.

She needs my love.

She needs my empathy more than anyone else in the world.

 

The hardest person for me to love is the person typing up this post. It is hard to look past every imperfection and see what other people can see. It is hard to process the thoughts in my head and realize they don't make me a bad person.

 

The power of letting go has allowed me to show empathy to the people around me who have hurt me.

 

When I let go, I am unstoppable---which is ironic since I have an eating disorder and OCD, two places where letting go is ESPECIALLY hard and where I feel like I'm in control. But the reality is that letting go means letting go of the reins and saying, "God, I may not understand all of this but I'm going to trust you anyway."

 

"Let the storm rage on. The cold never bothered me anyway."

 

I have seen the middle of some pretty dark storms but with the help of my Heavenly Father, I have been able to endure them and find empathy for the creators of those storms.

 

{Warriors don't give up.}