Let Go and Let God

Everyday busyness constantly overwhelms us in one way or another. There are many action items on our table, juggling them from one to another. We try our best to address them with a long to-do list.

Every day, however, we see more and more adding items than reducing and completing them. The list of our action items gets longer and longer despite your best efforts.

How can we deal with this constantly growing to-do list? We feel our everyday effort looks helpless, like a drop in the bucket, while an incoming water flow never stops.

Every day, we have to face various unknown tasks. You can’t eliminate unknown factors even if you are familiar with the duties.

We often hear a statement like public speaking is more fearful than any other fear, even death. One of the main reasons for this fear is an unknown factor.

Something unknown leads us to overthink and worry. Whether we like it or not, we endlessly simulate all the possible scenarios, falsely believing that preparation is the best.

In reality, such worrisome simulations are far from the proper preparation. We are daydreaming.

There is nothing wrong with preparation. We can do our best for this activity before anything happens.

The important thing is to know the difference between preparing and daydreaming. How do we know that?

We can ask ourselves if our focus is now or not, even though preparing and planning are essential for our future and upcoming events. At the very moment of this activity, however, ironically enough, our focus is the present moment of this same activity.

We are in action, not inaction of daydreaming. Amid the activity, we are in the flow state. We are neither worrisome nor fearful but enjoying the moment at hand.

All the action sequences seem chronological, like planning, preparing, doing, and recollecting. And doing is the only moment of here and now.

That’s not true. In planning and preparing, we can and should be in the flow state of the here and now. In other words, we should transform our actions of planning, preparing, and reflecting into the flow of doing here and now.

How can we do that?

We should realize that everything is inherently for doing. Even the act of sitting still, like meditation, is the act of doing.

When we meditate, we are in action; we gently count our breathing. When we pray, we actively talk to God.

Even when we contemplate, we are at the culmination of all the activities like reading and reciting God’s words, praying with them, meditating on them, and recognizing the divine silence beyond them.

We are in the act of contemplation.

Let’s go back to our everyday action items. Are they overwhelming us? Are we fearful of various unknown factors?

That’s true.

We don’t have to deceive ourselves by oppressing our feelings. We can accept our emotions.

When we touch cold water, we feel cold. When We touch hot water, we feel hot. Sometimes, we get annoyed with gloomy weather; sometimes enjoy the warm sunshine. We don’t have to deceive ourselves with all these natural reactions. So we can accept ourselves with all our actions.

Including nature’s elements, everything is what we can “enjoy” in the flow state of the here and now.

Water is constantly flowing from one to another. The wind is blowing in the same manner. Nobody knows where it came from and where it will go. All we know is the state of flow. For the rest, God knows. Let go and let God.

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

John 3:8

Let us get gently “overwhelmed” with the flow of the endless action items. In doing so, we can feel a sense of awe instead. Why don’t we enjoy the wonder of God’s creation?

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

Psalm 19:1-3

Both water and wind whisper to us. “Don’t worry about what will happen. And don’t regret what happened. We never stop. You can enjoy it and go with the flow.”

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Image by Gerhard