If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15, NASB)
Golf is a game of accepting limitations at any level of skill and desire. That does not mean we don’t try to get better, but it does mean that age, the number of years playing this game, talent, and hand-eye coordination all play huge roles.
So, accept your limitations and rejoice that you can play at any level. I know, I am preaching to the choir here. I think you know what I mean.
The book by Mel Robbins, Let Them, has sold over 5 million copies, and now she travels around the world sharing this concept with live audiences, and through her podcast.
The main theme is not being passive, but recognizing that you can’t coerce change in others; stop trying to control everything, and focusing on living authentically and intentionally.
I have listened to a few of her podcasts, and she articulates her position: You can advise and contribute information to others, but you can’t make decisions for them or allow their poor decisions to affect your equilibrium. “Let them.”
So, this brings up some interesting thoughts. What about the idea of just letting others decide for themselves the way of salvation? May it never be.
I love this serenity prayer from Alcoholics Anonymous: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” That makes sense.
How about this new serenity prayer that plays off the original one: “Lord, use me to help people change, love and accept the people I cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
In Luke 10, the author tells us of the prodigal son who left the family to run to a foreign country and sow his wild oats. He left his faith and his family. You know what the father did? He did not run after the son. He did not send an army to bring him home.
He did not feel sorry for himself, but he did run to the porch each day and look down the road for his return. He never gave up hope or love for his son. He let the son go and prayed that he would one day come home.
And then that day came. There in the distance, he caught a glimpse of his son walking home. The father jumped for joy and ran to hug his son. He embraced him joyously and prepared a feast and celebration.
What “let them” means. You cannot control others, but you can explain in love what the greatest gift in the world is. It is Jesus!
As Anne Lamott so beautifully says, “You can’t run alongside your children with sunscreen and ChapStick. You can’t deliver peace and serenity to others. It’s an inside job. Release them.” But we can tell them the truth.
What does it mean to “let them?” It does not mean badgering them incessantly with the Good News that they are currently not ready to hear. Pray now. Reap later.
The answer. So, pray that they become who God created them to be. He is the Answer. We are to love the ones that God put in our families, in our neighborhood, and in our foursomes.
We can share the absolute truth with them. We stay loyal along the trail of life. We can make them thirsty for God by the way we live and love them. Love never fails.
Prayer- Thank you, Lord. You always answer our prayers.