There is something to be said for moving on. But there is more to be said for letting go. We can reminisce, pack up, move and still take everything with us. Some even hire movers and mental handlers to help compartmentalize and prioritize. We label certain stages or phases “Fragile” or “Handle with Care” before we gingerly wrap and load up to be sure it goes safely with us. Even if the box never gets unpack for public display, the heart adorns what the eyes don’t see.

I was sitting in my vehicle at the parking lot of the gym this afternoon when I noticed a large, tattered moving box tossed into the field across the road by the burly wind. The edges were being powerfully pulled, picked up and shaken by what appeared to be an invisible hand. With a strong gust the entire box flipped from the field onto the street. The front fender of a compact car bumped the box into the bushes near to me. The top side faced me square on and I could make out perfectly, “KEEP” with a prohibition symbol crudely marked over it.

For many reasons this image resonated with me. Someone took the time to pack a large box of items, probably in touching them also giving them thought and provoking a memory. In giving them memory, allowing each item to evoke a certain emotion and feeling. Maybe a song came to mind, an embrace, a twinkle of an eye, the sweet smell of a beautiful day mixed with a favorite perfume. Expired tickets, trinkets, love mementos, certificates, or perhaps worn out but comfortably familiar clothes once filled this box.  I couldn’t help but wonder.

“KEEP” was boldly written first. The prohibition symbol seemed to be less intended, less carefully written. I wonder if they packed these items thinking to keep them and then changed their mind? Or did they actually move them and then realize in order to make a fresh start they really didn’t need to unpack them and decided to let them go?

We can get rid of a lot of things but still keep way too much. And we can also move much and rid ourselves of nothing. What do we need to not only move on from but maybe let go of in our lives? What is claiming us from being fully free?

Are we entering this New Year willing to detach ourselves from everything that would entangle our progress toward God, or do we simply move on and many times move with what we instead should be letting go of?   

Pretend you have three boxes in front of you right now and one permanent Sharpie marker. Label each box what thought/subject/feeling you honestly carry around most in your mind on a daily basis. Now ask yourself these questions of each box:

(1) Does this build me up spiritually?

(2) Does it control me?

(3) Do you have an uneasy feeling about it?

(4) Is it something you can praise God for without compromise?

If you don’t like your answers, maybe it is time to let go.

God is jealous for you. He is like the muscular wind to the box and wants to rid you of what distracts you from Him. Letting go is costly and at times more painful than just moving on. We are a society fairly good at moving on until we can no longer fake the effects of carrying around loads we have grown accustomed to living with despite their distraction. But God is faithful. And what is costly to us now is a small price compared to the rewards stored in His eternal KEEP box labeled specifically with YOUR name upon it.

I can feel the edges being pulled….