Let It Go!

I'm not a terribly religious person. I consider myself more spiritual than religious, but maybe others would call me a "Cafeteria Christian" meaning I pick and choose what part of my religion I subscribe to. I would prefer to say that I'm open to the ideas of many ways of thought.

I say all of this as a preface to something I was emailed earlier today that made me think and spoke to me. It's a poem by Bishop T.D. Jakes, who I will admit I'm not terribly familiar with, called "Let It Go." The message in this poem is a good one about the people and stuff in our lives. It reminds me that it's not good to hold onto things and relationships that are not positive in my life. Sometimes, in the past, I've been guilty of holding onto stuff (both material and emotional) way too long. And also in the past, I've been guilty of holding onto relationships in my life because I thought "negative attention or love was better than no attention or love." The fact is that negative is negative and it brings me down like a lead weight.

But that's not who I am anymore. I deserve better. I deserve relationships and stuff in my life that support me and lift me up and help me be a better person. And I hope that in my relationships, I support, lift up and make the other people be better too.

This poem reminds me of a topic I've written about before about Reason, Season, and Lifetime People. I believe that 100%. Sometimes it's easy to mistake Season People for Lifetime People, but the trick is to let them go when you realize the Season is over and not look back with regret.

Without further ado, here's the poem. I hope it speaks to you the way it did to me.

Let It Go by TD Jakes

There are people who can walk away from you.
And hear me when I tell you this!
When people can walk away from you: let them walk.

I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you,
loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you.
I mean hang up the phone.

When people can walk away from you let them walk.
Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.

People leave you because they are not joined to you.
And if they are not joined to you,
you can't make them stay.
Let them go.

And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person,
it just means that their part in the story is over.
And you've got to know when people's
part in your story is over so that you
don't keep trying to raise the dead.

You've got to know when it's dead.
You've got to know when it's over.
Let me tell you something.
I've got the gift of good-bye.
It's the tenth spiritual gift,
I believe in good-bye.

It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful,
and I know whatever God means for me to have
He'll give it to me.
And if it takes too much sweat I don't need it.
Stop begging people to stay.
Let them go!!

If you are holding on to something
that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life,
then you need to ..LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to past hurts and pains ..
LET IT GO!!!

If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth...
LET IT GO!!!

If someone has angered you ...
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge ..
LET IT GO!!!

If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction ..
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents ..
LET IT GO!!!

If you have a bad attitude...
LET IT GO!!!

If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better...
LET IT GO!!!

If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him...
LET IT GO!!!

If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship....
LET IT GO!!!

If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves..
LET IT GO!!!

If you're feeling depressed and stressed ....
LET IT GO!!!

If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling
yourself and God is saying "take your hands off of it," then you need to...
LET IT GO!!!

Let the past be the past.
Forget the former things.
GOD is doing a new thing for 2008 !!!
LET IT GO!!!

Get Right or Get Left .. think about it, and then LET IT GO!!!