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How To Survive THRIVE - Spiritually

Day 5:  You Grow When You Let It Go

One of my favourite movies is called “The Mission.” It tells the story of Gabriel, a heartless mercenary turned Jesuit priest, who went from murdering indigenous South Americans to serving them. To punish himself for his past, Gabriel insisted on dragging around a net full of heavy weapons everywhere he went. He could not forgive himself, and he punished himself brutally.

In one powerful scene, Gabriel is trying to climb a torrential waterfall to get to his new home amongst the locals. But the weight of the net keeps dragging him down, almost choking him and causing him to drown. In a dramatic act of mercy and kindness, his fellow priest cuts the rope around his waist - saving his life. As the weapons tumble down into the water below, Gabriel collapses in relief. He is forgiven. He is free. He has let it go.

What do you drag around with you?

What hurts hang on your shoulders, weighing you down?

Perhaps it’s the burden of your past. 

Perhaps it’s the weight of what others have done to you.

Write down something that feels heavy in your life.

How can we let it go?

1. Show mercy.
2. Show grace.

Mercy is when someone doesn’t receive a punishment that they actually deserve.

Grace is when someone receives a kindness they don’t actually deserve. 

God gives us both mercy and grace.

One way of letting go of a hurt is to show a person mercy. Yes, they may deserve to be punished. Let it go.

Another way of letting go of a hurt is to show a person grace. Yes, they may not deserve kindness. Let it go.

Today, ask God to show you how He has given you mercy and grace.

And ask God to help you grow by letting something go.

Written by Jess Basson | UMH \ \ PM Pastor