Learning to Let Go
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few breaths, and allow yourself to be present in this moment.
Consider the way a candle lights up the dark, sometimes only allowing you to see what’s right in front of you. How can we be more intentional about putting our focus on the light and not what isn’t yet seen?
“Don’t worry about a thing. ‘Cause every little thing is gonna be alright.”
― Bob Marley
Matthew 6:25-27
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Food for Thought
My daughter had just turned 15 months old when she was learning to walk. In true mom fashion, I thought, “Surely she should be walking by now.” I knew she had all the skills she needed to take off on her own. She had been crawling for a while, she could stand up, dance, walk while holding our hand, but for some reason as soon as she sensed that we were about to take our hand away, she would squeeze it even tighter. She was NOT letting go. It’s funny how sometimes just the idea of letting go makes us hold on even tighter.
I couldn’t understand this hesitation in the moment, but I tried to put myself in her shoes. In her short life she had already accomplished a lot. She went from the safety of being held, to daring to roll over, to figuring out how to coordinate her arms and legs to crawl and swim, and now I was asking her to walk on two feet. “I mean, come on lady, give me a break”... is what I imagined she was thinking. The idea of going from four points of contact to only two was risky business. “What if I fall?” “This feels very unstable.” “Can’t I just hold on a little longer?” “I can’t do this!” And yet, these are the same questions and racing thoughts I wrestle with every time I face something new and scary.
How often do we move through life like a child learning to walk? When faced with the opportunity to step out, we can be so quick to hold tight to the safe and familiar, potentially missing out on an opportunity that could alter the way we navigate the world forever. What keeps us from letting go?
For me, the challenge comes in wanting control – and worrying about potential outcomes gives me a sense of control that I can hold on to. I need to know that all is going to be okay and that I and the ones I love are going to be safe. The not knowing can sometimes be debilitating.
What is it for you? Is it complacency? Is it the need to be in control? Is it fear? All of the above?
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life...Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” I don’t think he was telling us not to plan ahead, but I do think he was encouraging us not to let worry keep us from experiencing the beauty that life has to offer. The beauty the birds so freely enjoy without sowing, reaping, or storing away; the beauty that the flowers offer the world around them; and the peace that comes in allowing yourself to trust and let go.
My daughter didn’t learn to walk all at once. It happened over time through love, support, and encouragement – and through her own courage and willingness to eventually let go. She took one step, paused for just a moment to make sure she was okay, then took another step, then another – step by step. You could see the change in her face as she was opening herself to a whole new world. In that moment I knew, even if she didn’t, that the way she would navigate the world around her had now been changed forever.
Part of our journey is about learning to find grace and peace in the moments when everything feels uncertain, and through that peace, finding a renewed sense of self-awareness. Sometimes we are able to do this on our own – but more often we find we need the support of others. We need to be encouraged and to encourage others to embrace opportunities to let go. Opportunities that, if we allow them, could help us change the way we navigate the world forever...together.
This week we encourage you to try something new, something that might offer you a moment to step out of your comfort zone. Maybe it’s introducing yourself to a new person or visiting a new place. Maybe it’s a new restaurant or new activity.
If you need to find relief from worry and fear, we encourage you to take time this week to write those things down as an act of letting them go, even if just for a moment.
If you would like a printable version of today’s reflection, you can find one in The Traveling Table eBook.
...and don't forget, the eBooks also include printable journaling pages, coloring pages, and Table Talk Cards!
Blessing
Loving God,
While worry feels inevitable, you offer to shoulder the burden for us. Help us lean into the peace you offer – help us to trust, to find rest, and to let go.
Amen.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Think about a time when you were able to truly let go. How did that alter your view of the world? How did you experience peace in that moment?
If you struggle with letting go, what keeps you holding on? (fear, control, worry, etc.)
Together with friends, discuss different ways that you can encourage each other on your journey to let go.
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Talk with your kiddo about a time when they tried learning something new.
Ask them how it made them feel to do something for the first time.
Have them make a list of new things they would like to try.
Meet Our Welcoming Voice!
The Welcome Table Team - We are “The Bunce Girls!” Originally from Lexington, North Carolina, we were raised surrounded by music, justice, and faith. We spent most of our Sunday afternoons gathered around an open table with family and friends where the food was plentiful, stories and laughter connected our hearts, and where the presence of each individual was held sacred. It’s those moments that have inspired The Welcome Table.
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Here are Five Things to Remember When Setting Your Own Welcome Table!