Let go, Let God and Let Love work it’s Magic
One part of my spiritual practice that is a constant work in progress is learning to let go of trying to control what I cannot control. A concept that was very difficult for me to understand at first, is that the world I see outside of me is not “doing anything to me,” but rather is a reflection of my inner focus and beliefs. So, I am “Cause” for what I see outside of me. What I see outside of me is just the Effects of my inner focus and beliefs.
This requires an incredible amount of letting go of anything happening externally. The up side to becoming aware of this, however, is that if the work is truly inside of me, internal, then that IS something within my control. I can make the choice to focus within, as hard as it may seem to be (and believe me, sometimes it can feel like the hardest thing!). This requires letting go of the need to judge others or situations, the need to be right, to be heard, to be seen and even the need to try to control ANYTHING or ANYONE except for what is going on inside of me.
One thing that has been so helpful for me is repeating the mantra “I let go and trust” and “I let go and Let God.” Both of these allow Love, the essence of who we really are, to prevail. Love always knows what is best. How many times have we tried to control something, to “fix” something, only to see the long term effects down the road turn out to be the opposite of what we thought was for the best at the time? Only god/universe/All That Is truly knows what is best in any given moment or situation. What a relief to realize I don’t have to carry that burden! I can set down the need to know, and give it to god, and let god be in control. When I am able to do this, often the end result is far superior to what I could have even envisioned at the time.
Letting go of the Need to Control the Future
One of the teachings from the book “A Course in Miracles” that goes hand in hand with this states: “I Place the Future in God’s Hands.” When my daily intention is to be in alignment with god, which means being in alignment with the Peace, Love and Joy that IS god (and is who we all truly Are), I can let go of the need to try to control the outcomes of every detail in my life, and hand it straight over to god/All that Is to guide. This allows me to focus on the present Moment and the Now. And trust that what is best for me will play out, without me needing to worry and plan and micromanage every detail.
The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter
“I can’t know where my future will carry me, but as long as I spread my wings, I trust the winds will carry me.”
This quote comes from a book I read last year called “The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter” by Shilpa Raj. Shilpa was born in India into a section of society known as the “untouchables.” She had the opportunity to be educated and wrote this memoir sharing her story. This quote comes at the end of her book, where she reflects on her life up to that point, and how she has learned that there is a bigger plan for her life than she can envision, and that she can let go and trust that the “winds will (continue to) carry” her exactly where she is meant to go, if she let’s go, “spreads her wings” and trusts.
Your Daily To Do List
Today’s tasks may include taking out the garbage, laundry, going to work and helping your child with a school project. What a relief to know that underneath anything that seems to need our attention at the moment, we are only one thought away from choosing the next peaceful thought, and remembering that we can let go of the frantic need to try to control outcomes or the future or anyone or anything. We could think of it as stamping a huge “I Let go and Trust” stamp on top of every daily to do list we create. Remember, “Let Go, Let God, and Let Love work its Magic.”
-Namaste
