Release, Rest, Remainਨਮੂਨਾ

Day 2

LETTING GO

We carry so much—worries about the future, the weight of peo­ple’s opinions, and the pressure to meet the never-ending demands of daily life. We push ourselves past our limits, refusing to release what is too heavy.

But here’s the thing: We were never meant to carry the weight of the world.

Jesus knows our tendency to carry weights we were never meant to bear. He knew it about His disciples too.

For three years, the disciples’ lives had revolved around Jesus. Now He was prepar­ing them for a reality in which He would no longer walk beside them. To step into what was next, they had to release their expectations of how things were supposed to go, their fear of an unknown future, and their desire to hold on to Jesus as they had always known Him. Would they be able to let go of control, and trust that, even in His absence, He was still guiding them?

Jesus didn’t hand them a step-by-step plan or a list of rules to follow. Instead, He gave them a picture of a vine and its branches. He spoke words that would stay with them long after He was gone. Words about remaining, abiding, and bearing fruit. But be­neath those words was an unspoken invitation to release. Because to remain in Him, they would have to let go of everything that kept them from staying connected. They couldn’t cling to the vine while holding on to everything else.

We often resist release because it feels like losing control. But what if release isn’t about loss? What if it’s about making room? What if letting go isn’t falling? What if it’s finally being held? As Isaiah 30:15 reminds us, “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence” (CSB).

Letting go may feel like loss, but it’s actually where life begins. Because when we release our grip on the things that were never meant to hold us, we finally make room for the One who can. We begin to live in the freedom of His calling, not in our own expectations. And when we abide in the true vine, we’re not just surviving anymore. We’re grow­ing, resting, then becoming exactly who He created us to be.

What expectations about life are you holding on to today that might be keeping you from abiding in Christ?