When I have held too tightly onto someone I wonder if I am doing it for them, or for me. Is it fear of loss, or making a mistake, that has my fingers clenched so tight that you can see the whites of my knuckles? Whatever is driving this behavior, it certainly can't be good.
Two things come to mind for me concerning letting go. First, I won't be able to fully embrace the new if I am desperate to hold onto the old. In fact, I may actually be blinded to the new by my insistence to live with the old. Yesterday's mana is clearly not the best God has for us.
Second, I want to discern the times and move when I should. We all want to be in the right place, but often letting go of the familiar can be unsettling, even as we know that we are being called out. Remember Abraham had to leave Ur, his home, before he was in the place that God had prepared for him. It is the Holy Spirit's gift of discernment that enables us to know when the time is right.
What about letting go of the past? For many of us there remains healing that we know only God can accomplish, but a key to His work is receiving what has already been done. The Lord tells us clearly in His Word that ALL was finished on the cross. From God's perspective it is done, and we need only believe and receive!
We can let go knowing that God is in agreeement with His finished work. Therefore, we can trust that we have His full endorsement when we believe in the power of the cross.
Philippians 3:14 KJV I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.