LET IT BE

It was a calm and peaceful night. With a full moon and balmy temperature, the stage was magnificently set at Red Rocks, the natural outdoor amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado. Anyone who lives in Colorado owes it to themselves to go to a concert there -- the acoustics are phenomenal, listening to music as you look out over the city of Denver is amazing, and I was thrilled to be there -- truly a magical night!

The concert that night was 1964 - Tribute to the Beatles, and those guys were awesome -- they sounded like the original Fab Four! As familiar lyrics and melodies rang through the night, I was struck by the words of "Let It Be."

When I find myself in times of trouble

Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

....And in my hour of darkness

She is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

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There will be an answer, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

Sometimes, of course, it's much easier to sing that song than live out the principle Paul McCartney was talking about. McCartney said he had the idea of "Let It Be" after a dream he had about his mother during a tense period surrounding recording sessions.

McCartney explained that his mother -- who died of cancer when McCartney was fourteen -- was the inspiration for the "Mother Mary" lyric. In the dream his mother told him, "It will be all right, just let it be."

But how do we truly just "let it be?" I saw a young woman crying during a baby dedication service. Was she experiencing acute pain for her inability to bear a child? Tears during a wedding ceremony often are a mixed bag of happiness and questioning, "Will it ever be me?" I meet with a married couple whose faces are a reflection of the strife they're going through. A father desperately seeks employment to provide for his family, without success.

Were I to say to these individuals, "Don't worry; just 'let it be,'" they'd probably slap me silly (or feel like it at least!) However, isn't this what Peter meant when he said, "Cast all your cares upon Him, for he cares for you?" He's basically saying, "God loves you more than you know; He knows what's best; He has a plan for you; trust Him; surrender those burdens of heaviness and quit fretting!"

I'm sure you've heard about those couples who, after years of fruitless attempts to have their own child, "give up" and adopt. Then, it seems almost immediately, she gets pregnant!

I know a young man who was so stressed out at work, he felt desperate. He wanted to quit but couldn't find another job. He decided to "make the best of it" and began to put his all into the current position, changed his attitude and began to excel right there. Within a short time, he received a call, inviting him to start work in an entirely different field; one he had been hoping to enter.

Despair was my regular companion when I compared my single condition to so many of my friends who had "Mrs." in front of their names. I had to change my own prayer to say, "OK, I'll just be an old maid and go minister to the Indians." That prayer not only changed my heart, (plus, I wonder if it made God laugh!) it changed my status from despondent loner to married woman.

The common thread? In each example, a decision to "let it be" turned fretting into freedom, heartache into happiness, and the hour of darkness into a time of joy. Remember, though, it's not enough to just "let go," there also has to be a replacement attitude -- a change of focus from "poor me" to, "God must have something different planned for me, so here we go!"

As you begin to enthusiastically embrace your present, and look forward with excitement to the future, you too can sing, "There will be an answer; let it be!"