Let It Be

Let It Be
By Sibyl McLendon

One of the most difficult things that we have to learn is to just Let It Be. When life gets tricky, when there is something that we really, really want, when difficult challenges crop up our first inclination as humans is to grab on and worry it like a dog with a bone. We try to force things in order to achieve what it is that we want. We push and we manipulate to make the outcome be what we desire it to be.

How many times have you viewed a difficult time as a lesson that you needed to learn, and then allowed things to unfold naturally? Even if the unfolding was painful, did you simply let things flow to their conclusion, learn what there was to be learned from it, release it and move on? It isn’t easy, is it?

One of the most profound quotes I have ever heard is the one for AA: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” If everyone could learn to follow this sage advice the world would be a much better, and a very different place.

The most profound part of that quote is “…the wisdom to know the difference.” Some things are infinitely changeable, but some things are not. When presented with a situation (or person) that you can’t change, repeated attempts to do so is what I liken to banging your head against a stone wall. It is pointless and painful, and it feels so good when you stop! The intelligent thing to do when confronted with this is to Let It Be.

You might be surprised down the road somewhere, because letting a painful situation just work itself out can lead to much better things in your life eventually. I have experienced this personally, and I know that it is true. Honestly, I know that you hear this all the time, but your life and how it plays out really does depend on how you approach it. If you see things as dark then they are. If you can learn to see difficult times as learning experiences, they lose a lot of their sting. If you can learn how to go with the flow of life without struggling, you are a lot less likely to drown during the rough spots.

This does NOT mean that you can approach all parts of your life this way. Remember, “…the courage to change the things I can.” When you can discern what things need changing and what things need to be gone through without struggle, you have then learned one of the most valuable lessons of life.

"And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me,
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be."
© Paul McCartney John Lennon