“Let it go,” the princess croons. “Can’t hold it back anymore.” If you were parenting (or grandparenting) in the early 2010s, that refrain likely echoed through your house or your minivan. For years, my kids twirled through the living room, belting out their adorable (albeit off-tune) renditions of the catchy ballad with full-bodied joy.

I used to think it was a song about glittery snow and fierce independence. But these days, I hear something deeper in the chorus — an invitation to release what’s weighing me down so I can move toward the One who lifts me up.

Not long ago, I sat in a quiet pew while my pastor led us through John 18. We were entering Holy Week, moving toward the garden where Jesus would be betrayed. We read about soldiers and torches. A kiss of betrayal. And then these haunting, holy words from Jesus:

“I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.”
John 18:8 NIV

The pastor spoke of Jesus’ steadfast love in the face of violence and fear, setting the stage for what was to come. But as I sat in the stillness of that sanctuary, something stirred. It wasn’t audible. But it was real. I sensed the words bend toward me. It was almost as if the Spirit turned them inward and whispered: “If you’re looking for me, Kayla… let it go.”

I don’t know how to explain it exactly, except to say this:

Sometimes, through the mystery of the Living Word, God meets us in the very words we thought we already understood. And something new is revealed — not changing the text, but changing us as we encounter it again.

That morning, I had walked into church herding my (slightly older but still wild) kids, and holding tight to a recent hurt. I’d replayed it all in my mind: my need to be right, my desire to be seen. I had no intention of releasing it or forgiving those who had inflicted pain.

But in that moment, I knew: If I was looking for Jesus, I needed to let them —let it— go.

What is the Spirit inviting you to let go of?

So many of our attachments tangle themselves into our identity. We confuse the burden we hold with who we are. But here’s the deeper truth:

You are never more fully yourself than when you are with the One who formed you from the dust — the One who is whispering a thousand resurrections into your life, if only you’ll look and let go.

Scripture is full of sacred invitations to release what is not ours to hold, full of reminders that if we’re looking for Jesus, we don’t need to do anything else except surrender (in other words… let it go).

• If you’re looking for Jesus, let your need to be right go.
  “In humility, value others above yourselves…” (Philippians 2:3)
• If you’re looking for Jesus, let your guilt and shame go.
  “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
• If you’re looking for Jesus, let your bitterness go.
  “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)
• If you’re looking for Jesus, let your fear of the future go.
  “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
• If you’re looking for Jesus, let your thirst for control go.
  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)
• If you’re looking for Jesus, let the weight of the past go.
  “See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:19)

I wonder… what do you need to let go of?

If your arms are full of resentment, of fear, of self-sufficiency, you won’t be able to receive the embrace of the One who longs to gather you close, to shelter you beneath His wings (Psalm 91:4). But when you move toward Jesus and let go of what you’ve been clinging to that hasn’t been serving you, you experience freedom. (And you’ll be able to extend that freedom to others, too.)

When Jesus stood in the garden, He was fully aware of what was coming. He still stepped forward. He didn’t resist. He didn’t run. He surrendered so others could be free.

And now, through the mystery of the Living Word, I wonder how it might reorient our hearts to remember that the One who spoke then still speaks today.

“If you’re looking for me… let it go.”

If Jesus made Himself known to the very people who mocked, maligned, and murdered Him, don’t you think He’ll make Himself known to you?

Jesus moves toward. Toward the hurting. Toward the searching. Toward you.

Letting go might feel like a loss. But Jesus tells us something mysterious and wild: Loss leads to life.

He tells us this in Matthew 16:25: “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

Resurrection begins in the quiet of surrender. The empty tomb, the very center of hope, was once a place of letting go.

If you’re looking for Jesus, you’ll find Him. You might just have to let a few things go.

Imagine Jesus whispering to you: “Dear one, are you looking for Me? You just need to let ____ go. I’m here. I always have been.”

What are your arms full of today? What might God be inviting you to release? What might it look like to let go? 

If this stirred something in you, you might enjoy Year of Breath, Kayla’s free weekly newsletter of breath prayers, reflections, and soul care for the journey.

 

Listen to Kayla’s devotion below or on your favorite podcast app.

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