Vol. 17 No. 22 | June 1, 2015
One of the recurring tasks of life seems to be finding the balance in holding on and letting go.
When you drop off your child for their first day of school parents struggle with finding the balance between letting go and holding on. You experience the same struggle when they transition from elementary school to middle school, and from middle school to high school.
When a parent watches their son walk across a stage to receive their diploma they are smiling on the outside, but on the inside they are trying to find the balance between holding on and letting go. So is their son.
When a mother gets her child settled into their first dorm room or apartment she struggles with the finding the balance between letting go and holding on.
When a father walks his daughter down the aisle he rehearses his response to the question: “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” Even when he manages to verbalize the words in his heart he is struggling to find the balance between letting go and holding on. So is she.
When a couple reaches a mutual decision that it is time for their relationship to end a major part of their struggle is to find the balance between letting go and holding on. They believe it is the right decision, but what if it is not.
It is not long after the birth of a child that parents are forced to come to terms with the struggle to find the balance between letting go and holding on. We call the parents who struggle to let go “helicopter” parents. We call the parents who let go too much neglectful.
As we experience the aging process where we are forced to accept that we cannot do all the things we once did we struggle with finding the balance between letting go and holding on. As we watch life slowly drain from the body of a loved one we struggle with finding the balance between letting go and holding on.
Although he spoke with confidence and determination, one has to wonder if Paul did not also struggle a bit with finding the balance between letting go and holding on, when he wrote: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV)
There is a balance. Holding on seems natural. Holding on often seems to the right thing to do. At the same time letting go may feel cold and indifferent and wrong. There is a balance between letting go and holding on. May you have wisdom, patience, and peace as you search for that balance.
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2015. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.