“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” (Lao Tzu).
We love to collect things. We collect books (guilty!), coffee mugs, and souvenir t-shirts. But worst of all, we collect definitions of ourselves. We walk around carrying heavy, invisible labels representing our successes, failures, and even our wounds. We wear these labels like they’re life jackets. But, in reality, they’re not keeping us afloat; they’re just weighing us down. But they’ve become familiar, and familiarity can feel like safety.
Scripture echoes this invitation to let go of old labels. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Apostle Paul writes:”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Notice that Paul doesn’t say you become a renovated version of your old self. He says you become Christ’s new creation. The old labels are officially expired.
But the truth is, we can’t become what God wants us to be if our fists are wrapped tightly around yesterday’s version of ourselves. We have to let go so that Christ can remake us into who we were created to be. And we all know that letting go isn’t easy or comfortable. It requires trust that God’s future is better than our past, even when we can’t yet see it.
What happens when you let go? You give God room to surprise you. You free yourself from labels. You enter a state of holy curiosity. You allow yourself to be a divine work in progress.
If you are stuck dealing with self-imposed labels or expectations of others, I invite you to try this simple exercise. Breathe in deeply, and exhale fully. Inhale: “Lord, I let go of who I think I am.” Now exhale: “I open my heart to who I might be.” Every time an old label pops into your head, picture it as a leaf floating down a river, and let it go. There’s a beautiful future waiting for the version of you that hasn’t been written yet.
Prayer: God of new beginnings, empty my hands today of all the labels I’m carrying. Give me the courage to drop the words and expectations that I have allowed to define me, so that I can step into the person you are creating me to be. Amen.
