Vacation Bible School Week 3: Let It Go

Vacation Bible School Week 3: LET IT GO 

Theme Highlight

You can’t heal what you keep holding onto.

Theme Scripture

Colossians 3:13 (KJV) “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

Some of us are tired because we’re just carrying too much. Old conversations that still replay in your mind. Broken trust you never fully processed. Silent disappointments you learned to live with instead of heal from. And the truth? It’s heavy.

Not always loud and it’s not always obvious. But it’s there showing up in your attitude, your relationships, your reactions, your energy. We say we’ve moved on and that we are fine, but we haven’t really let it go. Forgiveness isn’t about pretending it didn’t hurt. It’s not about excusing what happened or acting like it didn’t matter. It’s about deciding that what hurt(s) you will no longer let control you.

Epistle to the Colossians 3:13 challenges us to forgive the way Christ forgave us fully. Not halfway. Not when they apologize. Not when it feels fair. Fully. And if we’re honest, that’s the hard part. Sometimes the person who hurt you never acknowledged it. The closure you wanted never came. Sometimes the apology never showed up. And sometime the person you need to forgive is you. It’s okay to forgive yourself and release yourself from the damage you’ve done to yourself and to others. Romans 8:1 says there’s no condemnation to those in Jesus Christ.

Ways you know when you’ve forgiven and let go:

• Releasing resentment toward someone who never said “I’m sorry”
• Letting go of the version of a relationship you hoped would work
• Choosing not to replay what happened every time you think about it
• Forgiving yourself for decisions you wish you could undo

Because holding onto it doesn’t protect you, it drains you. It keeps you stuck in moments God is trying to move you beyond. You can’t receive peace with your hands full of pain. Letting go doesn’t mean it didn’t matter. It means you’ve decided your peace matters more. This week, we’re choosing peace over pride. Freedom over familiarity. Healing over holding on. Let it go not because they deserve it, but because you do.

Real Talk Reflection

• What are you still holding onto that you know is weighing you down?
• Be honest who do you need to forgive and why haven’t you yet?
• Are you waiting for an apology that may never come?
• In what ways is this hurt showing up in your current relationships or mindset?
• What would your life feel like if you truly let it go?

Live It Out

Write down everything you need to release names, situations, feelings, regrets. Don’t filter it. Be honest. Then take that paper and physically throw it away, tear it up, or release it in a way that feels real to you. Let that moment be your decision: I’m not carrying this anymore.

Faith Commitment

“What’s something you’re ready to let go of this week?”

Daily Affirmation: This week, I choose to release what’s been weighing on me. I will no longer hold onto pain that God is calling me to let go of. Even if I don’t get closure… even if it still hurts… I choose freedom. I trust that as I release it, God will heal me and I make room for peace to take its place.

Pastor Jackson has a power message of letting go. Check it out!