THE DRAMA OF LETTING GO
by Mike Robinson
The seat next to me in the small plane was where the flying instructor had always sat up to this point. It was now very empty! The knot in my stomach was very real. This was to be my first solo flight. I was a mixture of excitement and nerves!
There comes a time in any learning process where the learner must be allowed to do it for himself or herself. Having the teacher there may make one feel more secure but that can develop an unhealthy dependence that prevents growth and needed independence.
The piano teacher accomplishes very little if the student only watches and never gets to play for himself or herself. "Come again next week, Mary, and I will show you what else I can play". Don't waste your money, Mary!
Nowhere is this principle more evident than in the awesome responsibility of parenting. Preparing children for a life of healthy independence is so important. Our three children are now "out on their own". In a sense, they are now flying solo. Bev and I have taught them as much as we can.
While we are still available to them should they want to check out some of life's "navigational problems", we must let them go or we will stifle their growth and maturity. That has not been easy but it has been very rewarding.
But not all forms of independence are good for us. Some expressions of independence are far from healthy. Some people who claim to be independent are being nothing more than stubbornly proud because they will not accept help from anyone - even their own family members who want to help.
But so far as I am concerned, the worst form of unhealthy independence is to live life independent of God. Such self-determination lies at the very root of this world's problems. When the Bible talks about "repentance", it is calling for the surrender of our stubborn self-will and a new commitment to a life lived in dependence upon God.