Let It Be

This morning, for some inexplicable reason, I am humming the old Beatles song, “Let It Be.” There is something comforting and mysterious about the lyrics “whisper words of wisdom, let it be.” Let it be is truly one of the most difficult things in the world to do, at least for me. I want to pick at things, like a junkyard dog worrying at a bone. I don’t really like to stop until said bone is desiccated into a pulpy mess that’s impossible to clean up without gagging. Too graphic? Well, it’s just that kid of morning here at the Jackson house…

How often do we allow adversity to dictate our response? Where does our peace and contentment come from? Where does our joy go when confronted with unpleasant circumstances? In short, how often do we need to remind ourselves to “let it be?’

I am a frequent user of the phrase “let it be.” I have to be, or I’ll worry myself out of house and home. I have to remind myself that “though the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me.” I have not yet mastered the practice of living a worry-free existence, though how I wish I could. I try, but then somehow, somewhere, it seems the insidious “little foxes” creep in and before you know it BAM! I’m noodling around the edges of the water, and dipping my toes in the deep end.

What can we do about it? If you’re a worrier (like me), and your mind just seems to be geared toward it (like mine), then I have determined there’s not a whole lot I can do about it. My mind functions like that, and it just doesn’t seem to want to stop; however, just because my mind works like that doesn’t mean I have to let my mind run wild, like a demented Edward Scissorhands. No, I have control over what I think. I have control over how I act. I have control over myself, and that’s the ONE thing I CAN control. I can create positive self-talk and positive body image in my own mind and in my spirit. I can do this by believing what God says, regardless of how I feel or how I think.

At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter much what I think. My thinking is frequently erroneous, and can lead me down a path of destruction. My own thinking has led me into more trouble than I care to remember. But God’s thinking has never led me to anything but goodness, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, self-control, temperance, joy, peace, comfort. These are things worth thinking about.

So, while we may never be able to change our thinking, we can change our hearts. We can remind ourselves of who we are, what we are, and who we serve. Frequent reminders of these facts, plus meditating on God’s Word, helps us to know two things: 1) our existence here on this earth is going to come with troubles, sometimes with a capital “T” and a whole lot of exclamation points; and 2) the direction we turn is up to us—we can run TO God or AWAY from God.

What does it look like to run away from God? What does it look like to run to God? Having been someone who repetitiously ran away from God in my misspent youth (youth is TRULY wasted on the young), I can say with one hundred percent certainty—that’s the WRONG direction. Because when you run away from God, you leave yourself with only two options…run further, or turn around. There is no such thing as halfway. We are either in or out. If you run TO God, the options are limitless, because His love is limitless, without boundaries, and eternal. How can we run away from that?

Jesus is the one who is standing right in front of me, beckoning me to rest. I believe He goes ahead of me when I walk. He guards me from behind. He listens to me. He saves me. He helps me. I am encompassed by a “Jesus bubble” everywhere I go. And a lot of other things too numerous to mention. He is the one whispering words of wisdom to my heart and calling me to Him.

God bless you on this fine day. Let it be!