From Hope Valley Devotionals (Week 7): The Blessing of Letting go of What is Not Important

Happy Wednesday friends! As I shared a couple of weeks ago, I am excited to re-share some of the most popular devotional posts that I wrote in 2017-2018 (if you would like to see the complete list you can find it HERE!) and am excited to share this one this week! I am also excited to share that these devotional posts will soon be available (without the tie to When Calls the Heart) in a new and upcoming devotional book, February Caravan, that will be released February 1st. Stay tuned for more information to follow! In the meantime I am excited to start sharing again with y'all and I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

Several weeks ago, I was sitting at the hospital waiting for a routine procedure when two of my favorite nurses came in talking and looking at a phone. These two women started sharing with me that they were very upset because a mutual friend that they had known for years had been yelling at them over something extremely mundane. Their conversation drew my attention as I had just re-watched episode 7 from season 1 and I couldn’t stop thinking about Jack’s comment about life being to short to hold onto petty things and grievances. 

These two nurses whom I have come to know shared with me that they had apologized several times and wanted and longed to move forward because they had learned so clearly through their jobs that life is too short to hold on to all of this “stuff”. My mind immediately returned to Episode 7 from season 1 and I shared this quote from Jack. They immediately said that they couldn’t have agreed more. Life is so precious and truly there is no time to hold on to the things that are not important.

The truth though is that I believe “petty grievances” have the potential to create an opportunity for grace or an opportunity to for a once respected relationship to be destroyed. Often times petty grievances come from mis-communication or a perceived rejection from one person to another. Sometimes the rejection seems intentional and is not and sometimes it is an intentional rejection. Either way this fractures a relationship and causes pain to both parties.

Like many other women I am sure that I could write a lot on this tender subject. We all have had to deal with rejection in one way or another and sometimes this rejection really cuts to the core of who were are. Sometimes a recent, fragile, emotional, or disappointing circumstance can heighten things. Sometimes we can feel like an outsider or left out and this allows for things that might start off small to grow and turn into much larger things.

One of the things that I think is vitally important for us to do is to take these feelings back to the Lord and remember that while we may feel rejected by others the Lord will never reject us. One of my favorite verses on this topic is from Psalm 94:14: 

“For the Lord will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance.” 

 Hold onto this sweet and beautiful truth that the Lord will never reject or forsake you. We have a beautiful Savior who can empathize and sympathize with us because He has experienced everything we have. He understands our weaknesses and will never reject us. What a beautiful comfort there is in knowing that He understands our feelings. When we know this beautiful truth we can let go of the things that really don't matter at the end of the day.

In addition to this every time that I have felt misunderstood or rejected I meditate on Isaiah 49:16 which states: 

“You have engraved me on the palms of your hands”. 

This beautiful truth that the Lord would engrave my name on the palm of His hands brings such hope that the Lord will never forsake or reject me. When I understand this I can live fully in God’s grace and offer grace to others, understanding that we are all just trying to do our best. Living in grace and the knowledge that the Lord will never reject me gives me strength to let go of the “petty things” and move forward understanding what is most important in life. 

Today dear friends, let us live in this beautiful truth. Let us live in the truth that our lives have the power to redeem and change a situation. Let us let go of the petty things that we see on social media or that occur at work or within our homes. Let us remember the power of encouragement to change lives. Let us let go of our desire and our need to always "be right" and focus on what is most important... spreading love and grace.

An extra note too... when we do this- when we live fully in freedom of grace and of letting go of the small things... we inevitably are blessed by a community that is created based on grace. A community that surrounds and offers grace instead of nitpicking or harsh words. A community that realizes the importance of love over the need to be right. That is a beautiful gift and result of living fully in the knowledge that God will never reject us and offering grace.

"God will never walk away from His people, never desert His precious people."

-Psalm 94:14, the message-

Looking for past From Hope Valley Devotionals? You can click HERE to find a complete listing of all of the devotionals! 

*Please note that the quotes used in these weekly devotionals are the sole intellectual property of Hallmark Channel, WCTH, & Crown Media, LLC. These on-line posts are in no way supported, endorsed or affiliated with WCTH, Hallmark Channel, or Crown Media. They are simply encouragement inspired by Janette Oke and this precious show.*