“To let go is not to cut myself off,
It’s the realization that I can’t control another”

Being a mom is such huge part of who we are that releasing or letting go of our children seems impossible. Nevertheless, we eventually get to the point where we realize that our efforts at trying to fix them haven’t worked and we begin to face the fact that we cannot control them.

The thought of “letting go” or surrendering our children breaks our hearts because it represents a huge loss. It is the end of life as we have known it and we feel as though we have failed as a parent.

The good news is that letting go doesn’t mean we can’t have a relationship with our child. We never separate from our child, but we disengage ourselves from their problematic behavior. We step back and allow them to be motivated by God instead of trying (and failing) to motivate them with our nagging, meddling, or manipulation. We also begin to trust God more and rely less on what our child is doing or not doing for our sense of well-being.

There is a glorious relief that comes with surrendering our children to the One who created them and loves them even more than we do. Our job is to trust Him and allow Him to work in our lives as well as in the lives of our children.