"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." ~ Michelangelo

I love the turning of a new year.

I’m a firm believer in fresh starts and setting goals. But this year, it’s been different. In this season of clean slates and daring resolutions, I find my thoughts drawn to a different sort of resolve ~ not just of taking on new challenges, but also letting go of old, tired burdens I have carried for too long.

So here are 5 things I’ve resolved to let go of in 2012:

• False Obligations ~ A pastor and client of mine recently confessed that he’s been weighed down by a lot of responsibilities in his work that God never asked him to carry, and the load of it is keeping him from the things that God is actually calling him to focus on. It made me wonder: Where am I tangled up in false obligations—in my life, in my work, with the people I know? This year, I’m on the hunt for false obligations in my life, to remove them for good.
• Unforgiveness ~ It’s amazing how subtly unforgiveness can lodge in our souls. Sometimes it can linger there for years without us really seeing it. But it still saps our vitality and corrodes our capacity to love without fear. This year, I’m doing a personal review of my own history and relationships, and searching out any places where I am clinging to old, tired judgments about someone who hurt me sometime in the distant past….or even sometime last week. Where are you still clinging to long-standing judgments about a person or a group who hurt you?
• Reputation ~ It takes constant vigilance to maintain an image…to make certain you always “present” in a certain way to the world…to decisively defend yourself when you feel wrongly maligned or misunderstood. But Jesus “made himself nothing,” taking the position of the lowliest of servants among the people he led (Philippians 2:7). What would become available to you if you followed in his steps, and let reputation go? This year, I’m committed to finding out.
• Striving ~ “Cease striving, and know that I am God,” says the Book (Psalm 46:10). It makes me wonder, is it possible to really know God at all if you’re striving? I think it’s not. The phrase “cease striving” literally means to “take your hands off.” So this year I’ll be taking my hands off and letting go my control by asking myself this question on a regular basis: Where am I trying to “make something happen” rather than simply following God’s lead?
• Shame ~ If burdens are like mountains we carry in our souls, then shame is the Everest of them all. (Or maybe Olympus Mons, the biggest mountain our science has ever found.) Shame is any deep-seated belief about yourself that is false and contrary to what God says is true of you in Christ. Shame drives us to constantly try to “prove” ourselves to others in some way, or “hide” ourselves from others to keep from being judged. Shame is bad fuel for life. It’s downright cataclysmic fuel for leaders. And yet, I’m amazed how often my choices are fueled by shame rather than grace. This year, I’m committing to root out the shame that still drives me and invite God to heal it.

“We find by losing. We hold fast by letting go. We become something new by ceasing to be something old. This seems to be close to the heart of that mystery.” – Frederick Buechner

What about you? What do you need to…

release
let go of
stop
say no to
declutter
remove
close the book on
lay down
surrender

…in order to move toward freedom in 2012?