Life can be busy. It can be one thing after another until you eventually start to wonder how you’re going to keep up with all of it and keep your sanity at the same time. And sometimes we break down because it can all be too much. But then other times, life is busy in a different way. It can be one thing weighing us down. One thing that keeps us busy for an extended period of time. Sometimes these things that keep us busy force us to make sacrifices. Maybe that coffee we were supposed to get with a friend gets postponed, or that much needed retail therapy gets canceled because we need the money for other things, or maybe that soccer game at the end of the days gets canceled.
As human beings, we hate making sacrifices. Not only do we strive to please others on the daily, but we also want to be happy ourselves. We want to keep that time of coffee with a friend—not only in efforts not to let down our friend, but to satisfy yourself, too.
Here’s the thing, though. We think too much. We focus on the plans we made too much. We think about the big picture much too often. Our brains are wired to constantly analyze our next move. All we really need to do in life is let go. Let go and let God.
Letting go is hard to do. You know that phrase “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” It’s true. In this case, we’re the old dog. Learning to let go of thinking of our plans or the outcomes of the choices we make is difficult—not impossible, but difficult. But once we get the hang of it, life flows so much better. We’re suddenly able to make the most of every individual moment. We learn to be content and look for the bright side no matter the situation. We're able to make decisions based on the here and now. But we’re also able to make the decision about whether or not to make time for coffee with a friend without it causing a great deal of stress.
There’s a reason why learning to let go eases the burden of stress. This is because when we let go of the stress, we’re letting God take care of it. Even if you don’t believe in God, by letting go, you’re acknowledging the idea that life will work itself out. And if you do believe in God, you’re acknowledging the idea that God has a plan. We don’t necessarily know what it is, but for the first time, it’s okay. We’re content to live each moment to the full and see where life takes us. We stop to take time to even admire our current situation and realize that life isn’t all that bad. And we learn and realize and take comfort in the fact that, one way or another, things have a way of working out. And that though? Well, it’s just as beautiful as the wildflowers growing on the side of the road.
