Recently I thought about how easy it has become for me to discard things that are no longer serving us or our home.

I apply this William Morris’ quote quite liberally:

‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be beautiful or believe to be useful‘

Honestly, once I got in the practice of letting go, it became joyful to me. I felt free. I’ve even heard that donating things brings even more happiness than weight loss!

So when I added another item to my donation bin, the Lord interrupted the revelry.

Why can’t you let go of the thoughts of the relationships that have gone bad as easily as you let go of unwanted things?

Ouch. What a great question! It felt so freeing to let go of things, so why do I harbor the thoughts that keep me enslaved to a past, broken relationship?

In that moment, with the strength of the Holy Spirit, I asked God to give me the gumption to let go of those cluttered thoughts that held me back.

“I let go of that bad memory, Lord. I donate it. I give it away. That thought no longer serves me, and it ties me to the person who hurt me. May it be that I have the same joy in letting go of this thought as I have when I donate something that no longer serves me.”

Perhaps you need to pray a prayer like that, too. What thoughts do you need to donate? Let go of? Surrender?

As C. S. Lewis wrote,

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

May this little thought bring you comfort and release.