What if It’s Good?

 Isaiah 43:19 is such a wonderful promise from the Lord: “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.“ This scripture holds the promise of the new thing that’s coming, which is why it’s so often quoted in sermons and inspirational texts.

However, in order to fully embrace scripture, we need to read it in context. The verse before verse 19 says, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.” It stands to reason, then, that in order to fully embrace the ‘new thing’ that He is doing in our lives, we must let go of the ‘former things’. Simply speaking, if you want the new, first get rid of the old, and that’s what we’ve been looking at in recent blogs – change and letting go.

We sometimes assume that the ‘former things’ that we need to let go of are the hardships and disappointments, the times when we failed or didn’t get the breakthroughs that our hearts desired. That is part of it, but I believe this scripture refers in equal measure to letting go of the good things that have happened in our lives.

Sometimes we cling so tightly to the good things that have happened, that it can actually stop us from receiving the next, and sometimes even better things, that God wants to give us. Generally speaking, it’s relatively easy to let go of something that is not good or just okay, in the hope that something better will come along, because there’s a good chance that what you get will be better than what you had. 

But what if it’s good?

In my experience, it’s much more difficult letting go of something good, than something bad.

After we had been married for many years and had two children, my husband and I took out a mortgage in order to build a house in Zimbabwe. We had always lived in rented accommodation, so owning our own home was a massive step for us, let alone building it. Our house on Whitwell Road was our miracle home because, when we made the faith decision to own our own home, we had no land to build on, no savings and no money to build it with. However, step by step, miracle by miracle, we watched God provide the money and means to buy a plot of land in a popular location, take out a mortgage (which was a virtual impossibility at that time of economic crisis), and build our dream home.

The process of seeing it rise up out of the ground day by day as it was built made it even more special to us, and we had a few wonderful years in our miracle home, until the decision was made for us to return to the UK. Leaving a country you have grown up in is often heartbreaking, especially if those were happy years, as was the case for us. But, for me, one of the hardest things to let go of was our home. It was far more than just a house and a roof over our heads. It was the culmination of years and years of hopes and dreams, planning and prayer. It was our faith, now clearly visible in bricks and roof tiles, plants and trees, aviary, sunken trampoline, swimming pool and swings. It was a tangible representation of the faithfulness of God and His incredible favour and love over our family.

I loved every inch of that home, and to leave it was like ripping out a piece of my heart. 

So, how do you let go of something that means so much to you?

It’s been nearly twenty years, but I can still remember the day we left our house. I remember walking around the property on our last day, just soaking it all in, trying to capture the memories in my heart, choking back the tears. I remember driving out the gate for the last time, watching the electric gates close behind us and trying not to let our three children see the tears that were running down my cheeks. I remember it like it was yesterday, and, even now, when I think about it, the tears flow.

Letting go. Embracing change.

How do you do it?

How do you let go well?

There was a part of me that was so desperate to hold onto it, but here’s what I learnt: I learnt that the memories belong to me, not to the house. They are mine. They come with me, stored in a precious part of my heart where my treasures are kept. When we left our beautiful miracle home, all the wonderful things that had taken place there left with us. We didn’t leave them behind. We left the physical home, but the heart of that home was us, and the miracle of God’s goodness, not the bricks and paint.

When you let go of something precious, you don’t lose it. You keep it with you in your heart, like priceless treasures to be taken out and pored over and remembered and cherished. Mary, Jesus’s mother, knew that. She kept all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19). They are part of you and always will be with you. You don’t lose them. They are always yours.

The challenge for us all, therefore, is to let go of the “bad things” that have happened so that they don’t weigh us down, but also to determine in our hearts to hold lightly the good things that God has done in our past, so they don’t limit what He can do in our future. 

Be thankful for them, keep them safe in our heart just like Mary did, and then let them go so our hands are free to fully embrace the “new thing” which He has planned for us.

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Until next time ….

Ask Holy Spirit to show you if there are good things that have happened in your past that you may be clinging onto to, and which may be stopping you from moving on.

If any come to mind, thank God for them, release them to Him and ask Him to help you to move on into what He has for you next.

Remember that the memories belong to you. Treasure them in your heart, write them in your mind. Ponder them and keep them, as Mary did.