When my kids were younger I remember how it was always a battle to get them to let go of something in their hands. If they picked something that as a parent, I knew it was harmful it was always a struggle, as I tried to rip it out of their little-clenched fists. But nine out of ten times as soon as I held something else in front of them they would quickly release the item to grab the next. It worked all the time. They understood they could not receive the other item with a clenched fist, they had to let go first.

How many times in life we act that way. We hold onto things, emotions and sometimes even people and expect to receive something new. The same principle applies. We have first to let go of what we have to receive something new. When you open your hand two things happen; you let go of something that might be a blessing to someone else and at the same time your hand is open to receive something. This year I had to let go of my son as he left for studies to another city almost six hours away. For a mother’s heart, it was not easy, but I knew I had to let go of my boy so that I can receive a man out of him. I knew this experience will make him grow into a responsible man as he faces life and makes decisions far away from home. I remember the story of the prodigal son in Luke: The father had to let go of his son who was unappreciative, wild and stupid to receive later one that was wiser after going through life’s hardships, and appreciative as he saw how well even his father’s servants ate compared to where he was. This son came back seeking his father to hire him as a servant and didn’t expect to be taken in as a son. Let me tell you he now valued his father’s love more than before.

What do you need to let go to receive something better? Maybe it’s bitterness in exchange for joy, maybe it’s deep hurt from someone in exchange for healing or a grudge in exchange for restoration. Women, sometimes we hold on to things, emotions that only wreck us on the inside. Today choose to lighten yourself and let go. Choose to feel refreshed as you shed the unnecessary weight of holding onto things that weigh you down.