Letting Go....

Matthew 19:16, 21-22 (New International Version)

The Rich Young Man
¹⁶Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

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²¹Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

²²When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Watching a nature show about how poachers would catch monkeys.  I am not sure how I ending up watching the program, nor why I did not change the channel.  It was one of those God moments.  The poachers described how easy it was to catch the monkeys.  They drilled a opening into a tree, only big enough for a monkey's hand to fit through.  Behind the hole they made a cavity in the tree where they placed rice.  The monkey wanting the rice would place its hand through the hole and grab a handful of rice.  With the rice in its fist, it would not fit through the opening.  The monkey would have to let go of the rice to pull its hand out.  However the monkey, would never let go of the rice and would be trapped, and all the poacher would have to do is collect the monkey.

How many times have we all not let go of our need for revenge, jealousy, hatred, etc...  Only to have it trap us in sin, where sin would only have to come and collect us.  And all we needed to do was let go.

Corrie Ten Boom, holocaust survivor, once said, " I hang on to things loosely, for when God rips them out of my hands that it will not hurt so much!"

A story tells of a man, who in the dark wandered too close to a cliff only to fall off.  As he fell he could feel a branch, in which he grasped tightly preventing his fall.  In the darkness he cried to God, help me!  He then heard God's voice, with an answer he did not like.  God said simply, "Let go!"

He cried in the darkness saying, "If I let go, I will fall and die!"

God once again replied, "Trust me, and let go!"

The man refused and clung tightly to the branch, wanting to save himself.  As the sun rose and start the day, he looked down only to see the ground a couple of feet below him.

How we all cling to that which traps us.  How we all won't let go and trust God.

I implore you, if you read this.  Let go of your hatred.  Let go of your jealousy.  Let go of your need for revenge.  Let go... and Let God!

Neo...  August 23, 2010