Letting go

The other day I was talking with another woman who is very like me - a busy executive with kids in college or about to be, trying to meet the needs of parents, spouse, children, work, etc., and somewhere in there trying to take care of ourselves. We talked about how hard it has been for us to learn how to let go. But now, well into our 50s, we are finally accomplishing just that. We have learned that we cannot control the behavior of our spouse or our children, no matter how tightly we grip. Children grow up the way God intends them and it is our job to nurture them and support them along the way. Spouses are individuals with quirks, faults and wonderful qualities and if we would just stop trying to change them, we'd be a heck of a lot happier. We cannot possibly finish all of our work by the end of the work day - that ship sailed a long time ago! We can't keep our parents from getting sick or aging, and we can't keep bad things from happening to people we love. But, we can pray. The trite phrase "let go and let God" seems simplistic, but it is anything but simple to achieve that. Every day I have to pray that God helps me back off, listen, and let Him lead me. My God is a mighty God, and there is nothing He cannot do. I don't know why it takes a half a century to figure out that you can't control everything, but it seems to for a lot of women I know. As we reach mid-life, we are certainly learning the truth: God's got it.....let go.