Author: Rita Lynn Berry

Rita Lynn Berry, EdS, LCMHC, is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and the founder of NewVision Counseling and Consulting Services, PLLC. She is also the creator of the Journey to Me™ program and Mend n Muse Media™, where she shares tools and reflections that support healing, resilience, and self-love.

When God Says, “Lay It Down”

Golden autumn leaves falling from a tree branch, symbolizing letting go and trusting God’s timing.

When God asks us to lay it down, it isn’t loss—it’s trust. Just as the first leaves fall in early autumn, surrender clears space for new life. Release isn’t failure; it’s formation. In the letting go, God meets us with provision and peace.

Opening Your Hands: The First Step to Letting Go

Open woman's hands releasing sand at sunset, symbolizing letting go

Letting go doesn’t begin with the grand release—it begins with a quiet act of trust. Opening your hands is the first step. It’s the moment you choose to loosen your grip on what you can’t control and make space for what God longs to place in your life. In the stillness, those open hands become a posture of surrender and a position of strength.

Hope Is a Muscle—And We’re Still Strengthening It

A Black woman in lavender activewear walks slowly along a peaceful beach at sunrise. Her posture is upright and calm, embodying quiet determination.

Hope isn’t a wish—it’s a practice. A quiet, persistent muscle that grows each time we choose to believe again. Today, we honor the sacred work of showing up with faith, even in the waiting. Even in the stretch. Even when it’s hard.