Tight Fisted

“Whatever you are holding on to in this life, hold it loosely so it won’t hurt when the Lord has to pry your fingers open to take it away.” Anonymous church member after the sermon of Chuck Swindoll

I love the words of the elderly who view life from the lens of the past and the wisdom of the present. This advice was given by an elderly woman to the minister after he had shared a concern he had for one of his children. We can all relate to the challenges of letting go when it comes to our kids.

Other grips not so easily recognized are the grips we have on what I consider ‘justified rights to feel’. I am speaking of something very personal in my own search for surrender. In the past I have become very comfortable and settled in my ‘lazy boy of judgment’ as I experience a relationship in my life that has continuously beckoned my forgiveness. At some point along the way, I got tired and lazy of trying, of forgiving and of loving. It was much easier to simply close my fist on these emotions and hold on to them as justified rights. Satan fueled my tight grip by telling me that I had every right to be angry, bitter and resentful. He kept pointing out the infractions against me in the past and assured me there would be more in the present and future. Why is it so easy to believe Satan over God sometimes? I believe it is because Satan represents our sinful nature which comes natural, but God represents the spiritual nature towards which we must always work.

God has placed me in a position where extreme burden and responsibility intersects this person’s lack of involvement. It is at the height of this intersection that God is prying my fingers open commanding me to let go and be free. He is asking for this surrender and sacrifice of justified rights for the sake of my relationship with Him.

It is easy to surrender something when the offering is at a distance but when the request to surrender is at a pivotal time in our life the sacrifice is commanded and not requested. Letting go of the grip of these ‘entitled emotions’ becomes obedience to God and God will have what God wants.

So friend, hold things loosely so they will not hold you!