Letting Go

“The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.” Gen 12:1

When God commanded Abraham to Go, there were some prerequisites- leaving his country, his people and his fathers household. He doesn’t just say Go, but he says leave – and leaving implies letting go, releasing. Saying goodbye. This I am beginning to learn.

I have been thinking about Abraham a lot lately. Not that I think that our calling is anywhere near like his. But as the first man ever for God to ask this of, I wonder how hard it would have been. We have people who have gone before us and succeeded, so in some way, we have insurance that what we are doing is possible. But Abraham had none of that. Now I understand why he is called the Father of Faith. His faith was based on what he could not see – or had ever seen. His faith was born out of obedience.

And obedience is something that I thought I was good at. But now I am being reminded of my sinful nature and my actual rebelliousness that I have to fight against almost every day.

For if it were just about Going, it would seem adventurous, exciting, something I’ve been waiting to do for the last 27 years. ..but it’s now actually about LEAVING!!

It’s about letting go of everything that has been familiar to us. Letting go of our securities and insecurities. Saying goodbye to my dream home. Saying goodbye to our school system that seems so reliable right now. Letting go of any dreams we had in New Zealand and leaving our homeland.

No longer is it the excitement that is keeping me up at night – although I am still very excited. But it is the realisation that life here in New Zealand is getting shorter every day.

Letting go is never an easy thing. I am writing this in Rotorua and remembering our move here 7 years ago. This was our first mission field away from our homeland. Moving here felt so hard back then yet now it seems so easy.

We learnt a lot in Rotorua. We learnt that Auckland isn’t the greatest place on the planet. We learnt that we could survive without our family and often actually did really good without them. That “better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.”

We learnt that life is not all about being busy – but about enjoying our kids while we can. We learnt that people appreciate you more when you leave your homeland to benefit theirs. We also learnt that when you leave all the things that brought you security, that God becomes your security.

We left our home to rent out while we were in Auckland and in that year it increased in value by one hundred thousand dollars. We learnt that God blesses your obedience.

One day, this letting go experience will have a different shadow that will fall from it. A new light will expose it’s inferiority compared to the greatness that will be done on the other side. I’m looking forward to that day!

“Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham…So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” Gal 3:7,9.