I walked into a spider web the other night.

A spider was attached. A big one.

The web was huge and sticky, and wrapped around my face. I swiped at it and the large, hairy spider wrapped its legs around my thumb.

I can only imagine his thoughts when he spiraled through the air at thirty miles an hour. My husband still laughs when he thinks about the funky dance I performed.

Believe me, I was letting go — whether the spider was ready or not!

In today’s Encouragement for Today devotional, I shared that my healing required lots of “letting go.”

The funny thing is, the things I held onto were just as yuk as that spider, but I embraced a lot of them for way too long. I held them close. I let them saturate my emotional DNA. I allowed them to tell me how valuable I was, or not.

It wasn’t a conscious decision. They crept up slowly. They seemed normal.

I remember the first thing God asked me to let go.

God asked me to let go of unforgiveness.

I knew that I was tangled up, but didn’t know where to begin. The word “forgive” came strong, and often.

It took me a long time to realize that forgiving wasn’t saying that what happened was OK, but that I was worthy of healing. It was giving myself permission to release the need to punish someone in my heart.

The second thing that God asked to let go of was a false identity.

I’m me. You are you.

We are not our past, though it has an influence.

We are not those words someone said.

We are not limited, set back, or tied up in things that someone else did or said, but free to carve our own path as God leads.

You might be surprised that when you let go, how free you are just to be yourself.

Letting go isn’t usually a one-time deal

Today, when those things try to creep back into my heart — because they will try — I recognize them.

[bctt tweet=”We are not limited, tangled, or tied up by someone else’s words or actions. God sets us free to carve our own destiny. #livingfreetogether” username=”suzanneeller”]

I also recognize the source.

Like that hairy spider (I can still feel those long, hairy legs wrapping around my thumb), they have to spiral all the way back to the enemy, where they came from.

They are not welcome in my heart.

They are not welcome in my thought process.

They are not welcome in my relationships.

They are not welcome in my view of God, or my life in general.

I wasn’t looking to run into a spider web that night. It was dark outside. It’s hot during the day and walking in the cool of the evening makes perfect sense. If I had walked into that web, and allowed that spider to wrap around my thumb and inject its poison, it wouldn’t make sense.

So, let’s give ourselves permission to start letting go.

Remember this as you do:

    • It’s never ever too late to be free

Don’t buy into the lie that says it’s too late. It’s never too late to discover what God has for you.

    • “Free” comes in stages

The more you let go, the more you discover what freedom looks and feels like. I’m not the same person I was when I started letting go — not even close.

Yet it came in stages. There were times I realized I had crossed a major hurdle and didn’t even realize it. I knew what to do. It didn’t affect me the same way.

If you are still trying to figure out who you are, separate from those things that have held you tight for way too long, don’t give up. God knows who you are. Trust him every step of the way. You will get there, sweet friend, I promise.

[bctt tweet=”So if the son sets me free, I am free indeed. John 8:36 #livingfreetogether ” username=”suzanneeller”]

What is one thing you sense God asking you to let go of? Let’s pray about that together.

Suzie

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Related resource

The Unburdened Heart: Finding the Freedom of Forgiveness