When It's Hard to Let Go...
- Ashley Durand
- Sep 11
- 5 min read
I clung to the back of my son's bike seat as I ran for dear life, chasing his freshly training-wheel-free ride. He wobbled from side to side, trying hard to master the balance of two wheels. We'd practiced a few times in the grass, and each time he fell. But still, he was ready to try again — this time on the blacktop.
After a few seconds of me running beside him, he yelled:"Mom, why aren't you letting go?"Without thinking, I shouted back:"Because I don't want you to get hurt!"
Deep down, I knew it was time. He needed me to release my grip. But I couldn’t help imagining the scrapes, the bruises, the pain.
The timing was almost poetic. He had just started full-day kindergarten, and my daughter had begun preschool. I wasn’t just holding onto a bike seat — I was holding onto their childhood, their closeness, their need for me. And I was realizing: this was only the beginning.
There would be so many moments ahead where I’d have to let go. Moments that would feel just as scary, just as uncertain. And maybe just as necessary.
Letting go doesn’t mean not loving.It means loving enough to trust them with growth, freedom, and yes — risk.
Feeling a bit raw but wanting to celebrate, we headed to the ice cream shop. The owner mentioned that she had just dropped her daughter off at college.
“That must be hard,” I said, imagining how much I’d miss my kids after that big goodbye.
She smiled and replied,"It is. But it’s also exciting. Some of the best parenting advice I ever received was to enjoy each season as it comes. I plan to enjoy college parent nights, and visits to campus. I’ll enjoy planning my daughter’s wedding someday. I’ll enjoy holding my future grandbabies. There’s always a bittersweetness to the new seasons — but our kids will never stop needing us."
That struck me deeply.It gave me permission to loosen my grip — not in fear, but in faith.
Because as a Christian, I know something powerful: Even when I have to let go, God never does.
He’s always holding them — guiding, protecting, leading — even when I can’t.
Matthew 28:18 says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Later in the same passage, Jesus promises, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
What a comfort. I personally know the One who holds all power in heaven and on earth. He is with me and my children. And He can do infinitely more than I ever could.
My prayers over my children will always go further than my hands ever could.
And in a world like this, that truth is everything.
We’re living in days of school shootings, church attacks, political unrest, predators, hatred, and violence. It's a world where a good man like Charlie Kirk is murdered for speaking the truth.
It's enough to make me want to keep my kids home forever — lock the doors, protect them from the world.
But I can't. And I shouldn't.
Because the truth is, Jesus’ power is stronger than evil.Whatever happens to my children can be redeemed by His hand.
I may not be able to trust the world.But I can always trust God.
That truth makes the little moments of letting go — the bike rides, the school drop-offs, the growing up — just a bit easier to face.
And if you’re a parent walking through a season of letting go, I want to encourage you:You’re not alone.You don’t have to be afraid.Jesus has all the power — and He loves your kids even more than you do.
Don’t believe me? See for yourself:
Jesus has all the power
"For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together".
"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power".
"And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”".
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God".
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, forever and ever. Amen".
"that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God".
God loves and cares for you (and your kids)
John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life".
Romans 8:38-39:
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love".
1 John 4:16:
"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them".
Jeremiah 31:3:
"The Lord appeared to him from of old, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving-kindness”".
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us".
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!".
"But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness".
"Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever".
Ephesians 2:4-5:
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our sins—it is by grace you have been saved".
When bad things happen, God has a plan to turn it into something good
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives".
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
With the knowledge of God's character, we don't have to be afraid of evil men.
Psalm 23:4 "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
"But he who listens to me (wisdom from God) shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil."
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid".
