Rev. Robin Reiter is an inspirational speaker and a catalyst for personal transformation. She is the founder of Sacred Abundance Ministries and has dedicated her life to helping all people realize heaven on earth.
“Let go … or be dragged” is an American proverb that whimsically speaks a very powerful truth. In my experience, the practice of consciously letting go resides at the very heart of changing gracefully. An essential truth of life is that things are going to change! We cannot stop the process of change from happening, so our work is to find out how to go with it and flow with it so that we don't find ourselves being dragged through life trying desperately to cling to that which no longer serves us.
I recently discovered that evidence of this profound truth has literally been around me all of my life. I am a native Floridian and grew up walking on the beach searching for shells. When I returned home for Easter, I took another walk and found myself almost instinctively looking down by my feet, seeking the perfect specimen to put in my pocket and bring to my altar.
As I looked at all of the different colors and shapes and sizes, the words of a song by Karen Taylor-Good began to ring in my mind: “Shells are little homes, that once fit but were outgrown, little lives that moved on becoming larger selves.” It was a true revelation as I allowed this truth to wash over me.
Every seashell washed up on that shore represented letting go. Sea creatures will live in a shell as long as it fits and serves them well, and as soon as it does not, they leave that shell behind and move to another that is a better fit. What a concept!
In my life, I have had to work at mastering this great wisdom. There have been times when I have gracefully let go of a job, relationship, habit or belief that no longer fit or served me. Then there have been those other times when I have held on and stayed in situations or continued with behaviors that were not at all in my highest good.
As I reflect back, I discover that I clung to those situations because they felt safe in some way. They were familiar and comfortable and in some cases I was allowing them to define me. Each time I held on too long, I ended up getting dragged uncomfortably to my next phase of being. The holding on would result in pain and heartache and sometimes even sickness. Whenever I let go easily and with conscious intention, it resulted in incredible blessings.
So how do we know when it is time to let go? The only true and unwavering answer is to connect with Divine guidance and ask. We are always in connection with Spirit and every answer we ever seek is found in that connection.
We can access this limitless source of answers through prayer and meditation. As we get quiet and listen, we will know without question if the right next step is to let go. Remember the deep and profound words Kenny Rogers heard from a gambler while riding on a train: “You've got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.”
Hear Rev. Reiter on her weekly program Sacred Abundance on Unity Online Radio.
