Let It Go
By
January 19, 2015
Unless you have been living in a cave somewhere, no doubt you have heard the song Let It Go from Disney’s hit movie Frozen, sung by the lead character, Queen Elsa. Poor Elsa has this “freezing” power which is a blessing and a curse. At the beginning of the movie, she doesn’t understand how to control this power so one day she runs away from her village to live alone. During the scene featuring the hit song, she is in the mountains creating this frozen landscape with everything from a snowman to giant snowflakes. Eventually, she creates a castle made of ice where she can live away from everyone else. One portion of the song says:
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I'm never going back,
The past is in the past!
Let it go, let it go
Ponder this closely and there is some deep, embedded theology in these words. These words that Elsa sings are what our lives are like when we choose to follow Jesus Christ. Jesus came so that we could put our pasts—our sin-filled pasts—behind us. Jesus even warned those who said they wanted to follow him that once you put your hands to the plow, you are to not look back. In other words, the past is in the past.
We all have a past, a past life that was not Christ filled. Some other sort of power controlled our life but life with Jesus Christ changes all of that. In Matthew Chapter 11, we read these words from Jesus: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matthew 11:28-30, MSG).
Come to me and get away with me. Aren’t those awesome words? Comforting words? That is the path Jesus offers. As we begin this new year, my prayer for you is that you take the time to get away and spend some quiet time with Jesus.
Unlike Elsa, you don’t have to run away to the mountains, simply close the bedroom door and block out the world. Listen for His voice as He helps you to let go of the things of this world that are holding you back; everything that is preventing you from being the best Christ-follower you can be. Like Elsa, never go back to your old life. Let go of your problems. Let go of your fears. Let go of the prejudices that are holding you back from being the person God created you to be. Let go of it all and let God take the rains of your life. Through the power and grace of Jesus Christ, the past is behind you; let it go.
