I’m Done Holding On: Surrender to the Lord
I sat down at a piano in June 2024 and started writing this song called “All Is Yours.” The voice memo still lives on my phone. It’s a simple piano/vocal, but it was anything but simple at the time. It was a piece of my heart, reminding me that God is big and surrender to Him is beautiful. You may know most of it. Later, that song-start would grow into “Done Holding On.”
When I think back on summer two years ago, I was in such a different place. Such a waiting season. Would I ever release the songs burning on my heart? Would I ever feel like belonged at my university? It truly felt like I was holding on to something so tight, but terrified it could all slip away from me at a moments notice.
Fast forward to February of 2025, I’m in a co-write and play what had been simmering on the back burner for nearly a year. It struck a chord with both my co-writers and we dove in, chipping away at what the heart of the song really was. It morphed from a piano ballad to a vibe-y folk/pop thing that I loved and would later take into the studio.
The opening line of this song still guts me a little bit every time I sing it or listen back: “All the things I love the most are so easy to lose.” The reminder that so much of this life is temporary isn’t…fun. But I think it is necessary. I think that much of my own struggles with anxiety come when I hold too tightly to the things I have in this world, and don’t spend enough time looking to the treasures being stored up in Heaven.
The Beauty of Surrender
I still struggle to let go. Daily. I love to plan ahead. I love to have things in neat boxes. I keep picking up the things that make me anxious even though I know that, through Christ, I’m free to just leave them right on the ground.
What I’m saying is, I’ve learned that surrender isn’t just something you do one time and never have to struggle with taking back up again. “Done Holding On” isn’t an easy song or an easy challenge. It’s a reminder that the weight that is crushing us isn’t one we have to be carrying alone in the first place.
I’ve seen that beautiful things always come when I do let go and hand something over to the Lord. My personal surrenders have always been followed by something good, whether it be peace, blessings, lessons, or new perspectives.
I hope this song encourages you on your journey to do the same. I hope you love listening to it on your favorite Christian road trip playlist and drive praising the Lord with your windows down.
I hope that there are moments where you stop in the middle of singing and ask, “What am I holding on to that I also need to let go of?”
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