Main Thought
You might have heard this saying before: “If you love something, let it go.” There’s actually some truth to this from a Biblical perspective, but God’s Word brings greater clarity and truth to it. Love releases what it isn’t called to change or control. In family life, there will be issues - people, problems, decisions, and more - that are outside of our rightful influence and control. Love recognizes this fact and rejects the temptation to exert inappropriate influence. In love, we let these things go - but we do not go away. Love watches without withdrawing. We remain accessible, within reach, to the people and problems that we release. We want people to be able to turn to us when they’re ready. So what do we do in the meantime? Love trusts God to return the things we’ve released. Some things are outside our control, but there’s nothing outside God’s control. Letting things go teaches us to trust Him.
Main Passages
Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. - Exodus 2:1-4, NIV
5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said. 7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” 8 “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.” - Exodus 2:5-10
'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ' - Romans 8:28
Discussion Questions
Reflect on Romans 8:28 (above). What can it look like when God works “for the good of those who love him”? What does this verse promise us? What doesn’t it promise us?
Are there any situations in your life or your family that are bringing you pain, worry, or distress? Is there anything you can do within your rightful place of influence or control?
Think about your answer to Question 2 again. What’s outside your rightful place of influence or control? Pray with each other for those situations, breaking into smaller groups if appropriate.