“Honey, I want you to keep living after I’m gone,” my husband said one day.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Well, you know I will go first, right?” he replied.

“I don’t like it when you talk like that,” I said with fear gripping my heart.

“You have to promise me that you will keep on living,” he continued.

“Okay,” I said with tears streaming down my face.

I hugged him tight and prayed that I would never have to fulfill that promise. I stashed the memory of this conversation in my memory bank. As I was writing the last chapter of my book, The Power of Hope in Mourning: Ride the Waves to Comfort, I realized that while my husband’s journey through life was over mine was not. In Psalm 23 we find the familiar verse that says, “Even when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil.” What stood out to me is that this is not a box canyon. It is in fact, a journey through a dark season. We are not to set up house there. I felt the Lord speak to my heart, “Live – really live! Enjoy all that I have for you in the future.”

I am yielding to God’s perspective and plan for my life. I am embracing the future with joy and willingness to let my heart feel again. I am yielding all expectations to him with the confident assurance that God is working it all in my favor.

The author of this book is challenging his readers to let go of their reliance on the law and the rituals of religion. It is written to Jewish Christians who might find this hard to do. In this chapter, the author is comparing Jesus to Moses. The law  For the first-century Jewish-Christian audience, Moses is the rescuer of Hebrew slaves out of bondage in Egypt—the receiver of God’s law and the covenant. They remember how he shepherded the children of Israel safely through the desert for 40 years and led them to the brink of the promised land. He was indeed a remarkable man. Yet what Jesus has accomplished for everyone—not just the Jews—is on a totally different level. Moses was indeed faithful to God and accomplished a great deal as God’s servant. Jesus, too, is faithful to God, but He has accomplished what Moses could not because He is God’s very own Son.

In the context of this chapter, the author is challenging the reader to let go of the way things have always been. This is the ultimate comfort zone. We know that God is doing a new thing but we don’t want to let go of our old ‘stuff’ because it’s familiar. To the Jewish believer it had to have been a challenge to leave the stance of trusting their behavior through the law. Moses brought God’s truth to His people and built a house founded on these rules. While these commandments protected them from the external challenges they did nothing in the heart. As a widow, the hardest part to let go of was my identity as a wife with a lifelong partner. It was so strange to have no one to come home to especially after trips. I would actually call his phone just to hear his voice on the voice mail. What are you holding?

Each new season comes with the challenge of knowing how to let go. I don’t want to forget this precious man who was a such a part of my life. I want to keep his legacy alive in our children and grandchildren. At the same time, I know that the strongest message that this verse has for me is that I can cling to the past identity and miss out on a beautiful future. Letting go does not mean forgetting. It is impossible to forget. Letting go does not mean dishonoring as we will continue to honor a legacy of grace under pressure. Opening my hands to receive the new enhances the memories and furthers the legacy of hope. What do you need to release?

My life is built on the foundation of the love that I shared with a wonderful man. God is in the process of building a future for me. The foundation will never be shaken or lost. God has a good plan and it includes all the extras to allow me to give full expression of all He has created me to be. It is essential that I not cling to the old and yield with confident hope in the new construction process. It can be disruptive and uncomfortable. What are you yielding in hope?

Thank You Lord for the foundation of truth and hope on which You have built my life. I am so grateful for the truth that sets me free as I continue to grow in new areas. I am so thankful for all that has taken place in my life until now. You are an amazing God of hope. I release the fears of change and let go of all that would hold me back from fulfilling all that You have for me. I yield to the stable hope for the future. You are good to me and I trust You in all the details. In Jesus’ name. Amen.