I celebrated my 26th birthday this past summer and one of my gifts was a new phone. I was so excited because it was something I’d been really wanting! I was equally excited to be able to transfer all of my information from my old phone to my new phone. I had everything I needed.

The other night my mom dropped her phone and could only use it to text. When she asked if she could use my old phone, honestly, I was hesitant at first (although I didn’t tell her this). I always keep a back up phone just in case. And I would have to delete all of my information on it. I kept thinking how I was so attached to the phone because I’d had it for years and still used it for certain things.

I realized that I was being selfish and unreasonable. I was afraid to let go of what was familiar, although I had something else in its place. Not only did I have all of my same pictures, apps, notes, contacts, etc. on my new phone, I had an upgraded version. After about 30 minutes of wrestling with myself, I came to my senses, restored the phone to factory settings and immediately drove the phone to my mom at 9 o’clock that night.

I have a playlist on Spotify called Pack Lite. The first song is Bag Lady by Erykah Badu. In this beautifully written song, Erykah says, “Bag lady, you gone miss your bus. You can’t hurry up, ’cause you got too much stuff.” When we hold on to unnecessary baggage, it slows us down. One of my prayers in this season has been, “Lord, give me the strength, courage and confidence to let go of that which no longer serves me.” Isn’t it funny how we pray these prayers and then we’re surprised when God actually answers?

The phone situation was minor but it was a reflection of what was going on in my life on a bigger scale. I realized it was time to evaluate where I was, where I was going and who was coming with me. It was time to have the hard conversations.

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV

Letting go is much easier said than done. But I pray God gives you a supernatural grace to release those things and people that are no longer for you so that you can make room for what is.

1. Recognize what you need to let go of. Are you walking blindly? “Without vision, the people perish” Proverbs 29:18. There are other people tied to your purpose. This is one reason why alignment is so important. Ask God to show you where you need to be and who you need to be surrounded by. And when He speaks, obey.
2. Plan how you will handle the situation. If you’re leaving your job, please do not go off on your coworkers and make a dramatic exit. (If you do decide to do this though, please record it and send me the video. So I can like, pray for you, you know). Always lead with grace and “let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).
3. Move forward. Let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no. Proverbs 26:11 says, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.” Once you’re aware of where you need to be, you now have the responsibility of getting there and staying there.

You will never get to experience or fully appreciate God’s best for your life if you continue to hold on to what’s “good” and familiar. You do yourself (and others) a disservice when you continue to waste time and space. Make the necessary adjustments for this season. Let it go. 🦋