Learning to Let Go
On Surrender, Grief, and Finding Rest in God
There are moments when life feels heavier than we would like to admit. We worry about things we cannot control, carry disappointments we rarely talk about, and hold on to questions that do not seem to have immediate answers.
Sometimes, we become so accustomed to carrying everything ourselves that we forget we are not meant to do it alone.
In 1 Peter 5:7, we are reminded to cast all our anxieties upon God because He cares for us. It is a simple invitation, yet perhaps not always an easy one to accept. We know we should trust God, but knowing and actually surrendering are two different things.
We pray, but sometimes continue worrying. We say we have entrusted something to God, yet find ourselves picking it up again. Perhaps surrender is not always a one-time decision. Sometimes, it is something we must learn repeatedly.
But what about the things that go beyond anxiety? What about grief, disappointment, and the kind of pain we struggle to put into words?
Lamentations 2:19 offers a picture of someone crying out to God in the middle of the night, pouring out their heart before Him. There is something deeply human about this passage. It reminds us that faith does not mean we must always appear strong. We do not have to hide our tears or pretend that everything is fine.
We can come to God with our unanswered questions, our disappointments, and even the things we do not yet understand.
Perhaps one of the hardest parts of surrender is accepting that we cannot always make sense of what happens to us. We want explanations. We want closure. We want things to turn out differently. And sometimes, we spend so much energy trying to make everything right that we forget to bring our weary hearts before God.
This brings us to the invitation of Jesus in Matthew 11:28: Come to Him, all who are weary and burdened, and He will give us rest.
I find it meaningful that Jesus invites the weary to come. Not the people who have figured everything out. Not those who have successfully resolved every struggle. Simply those who are tired and carrying burdens.
Maybe that is where we need to begin.
We do not have to wait until we feel stronger to come to God. We do not have to resolve every emotion before approaching Him. We can come as we are.
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And perhaps submission is not about giving up, losing our voice, or pretending that difficult things do not matter. It is about recognising our limitations and learning to entrust what is beyond our control to God.
There will still be things we need to face, decisions we need to make, and responsibilities we need to fulfil. Surrender does not remove those things. But it changes how we carry them.
We learn to release our anxieties, bring our grief before God, and receive the rest that Jesus offers.
Perhaps the question worth asking ourselves is this: What am I still holding on to that I need to entrust to God?
Not everything needs to be figured out today. Not every question needs an immediate answer. And not every burden is ours to carry alone.
Sometimes, faith looks less like having everything together and more like having the courage to let go.
Perhaps this is what submission looks like: not having everything under control, but learning to trust the One who does.
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Read widely. Discern wisely. Stay rooted in Christ.
November 6th, 2026
Faith Emmanuelle.
Day 64.
One day at a time.
One question at a time.
One deeper distinction at a time
