"Gotta Let Go!"

Spirit & Truth # 258

“Gotta Let Go!”

By Greg Smith

(C) 2012 

“I throw my hands up in the air sometimes

Saying ayo

Gotta let go!”

--Taio Cruz, “Dynamite!”

From the album Rokstarr

            Lots of people love roller coasters.  Some people are roller coaster junkies, visiting every new amusement park they can, just so they can feel the raw power of these amazing rides.  I like roller coasters—in theory.  Actually these days I can only ride one or two before nausea reminds me that I’m now solidly middle-aged.  But when I was a kid, I loved them.  I remember the first time I rode one, how scared I was.  I white-knuckled the entire ride, with my body rigid and eyes bugging out in fear.  I didn’t like my first coaster ride very much.  It wasn’t until I learned to throw my hands up in the air and let go, that it truly became fun.

            Some people go to church the same way I took my first roller coaster ride.  They arrive with fearful hearts, not knowing what might happen.  They’re afraid of abandoning themselves to the movement of the Holy Spirit.  They sing their hymns with bugged-out eyes, white-knuckling the backs of the pews until they’re told they can sit down.  

            Others have learned the art of letting go.  You can see it in the way they carry themselves.  Their bodies are relaxed, and they sing with adoration in their eyes.  Every now and then, you might even see hands slipping up into the air, like a child letting go to enjoythe raw power of a coaster ride.  These two different ways of approaching worship are also the same ways that two different types of people approach the wild ride of life.  

            Some Christians approach life with fear, knowing that there was a Master Designer who planned out their ride, yet distrusting the Builder’s good plan.  They fear that if they let go of all control, they will somehow fly out of the seat to their doom.  So they hang on with all they’ve got, never fully abandoning themselves to the joy of the ride.

            Other believers have realized that while the ride can be intense sometimes, the Designer knows every curve on the track ahead, every loop, every corkscrew.  He built it with you in mind, and all He asks is for you to let go and enjoy.  Scream.  Laugh.  Let Him show you the sheer power that is His.  Let the wind of the Holy Spirit blow through your hair and fill you with exhilarating joy.

            In Acts 1:8 (HCSB), Jesus told His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Perhaps Jesus’ followers were excited about their mission, but maybe they were scared.  Either way, Jesus told them that their journey would be one in which they would experience His power.  As you find your purpose in life and learn to follow His calling, you might feel like white-knuckling through the whole ride.  Or, you can relax, let go, trust that He will carry you from start to finish, and enjoy the thrilling journey He’s designed for you.  Feel His power.  Trust His power.  Let go, and enjoy the ride.