Letting Go of Tomato Soup

LETTING GO OF TOMATO SOUP

By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly

What is your favorite comfort food from childhood?  For me, it was tomato soup.  There is just something relaxing about having my hands wrapped around a hot mug of soothing soup that brings a sigh of relief.

I had tomato soup a lot in childhood. I could eat it with no noticeable ill effects.  In adulthood, however, I find that as I am finishing the cup, heartburn and regret come calling.

Many things that I did in childhood are no longer part of my life.  I have learned that they aren’t worth it.  Scary movies give me anxious dreams.  Juicy tidbits of gossip bring conflict, hard feelings and drama. Wandering around the mall for “fun” opens the door to the torment of want.  Flirting with temptation invites destruction.

There are still other childish ways that I need to let go of, however.  They cause trouble for my life and lead to pain, lack of peace and regret.  How about you?

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” – 1 Corinthians 13:11 NIV

Sometimes long held behaviors and faulty beliefs are not easy to leave behind. Sometimes we need help to let them go.  Let’s ask the Father for help.

Father, reveal those things that no longer serve us —thoughts and behaviors that steal our peace, squander our blessings and invite pain, division and distress. We bring to You our childish ways.  We need Your help to let them go.  As we do, show us how to pursue godliness and take hold of the new joys and greater blessings that You reserve for only the mature.

Lord, our future and hope lie ahead of us, not behind.  Strengthen us to turn away from what holds us back, and inspire us to press forward to take hold of the blessings You have in store.  Holy Spirit, do a work in us.  Mature us into strong men and women that You know You can entrust with greater things, because, in wisdom, we have left the immaturity of childhood behind.  In Jesus’ Name ❤️

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