Tight Fisted

The oddest memory flooded my mind today as I was doing my quiet time. It was a visual of my daughter in her high chair in my kitchen some 40 something years ago. It made me smile because I think God reminded me of it to simply illustrate what I was studying. He's good at that you know. She was in her high chair and was a bit fussy and I was preparing dinner for everyone at the same time. I was making her a bottle because it was growing close to her bedtime. I did possibly the ”unspeakable” in some mothers’ eyes. The thing was that it was simply out of desire for a little contentment and peace from the crying. So, I gave her a little jelly smeared on a crustless piece of bread until I could juggle the rest of my duties. Well, it was magic! The crying ceased, there was a happy baby and I could finish prepping her bottle. Well, once the bottle was ready and dinner put on simmer I went to take the jelly bread from her little fists and she wasn't having it! Have you ever tried prying yummy food from a tight fisted baby? Not so easy. The battle ensued the war was waged but in the end I won! Yay! 

Here's the thought. . . . If she would have just let go easily of the thing that she was holding onto, the thing that she thought was the best thing in the world, well then she could have more readily had exactly what was needed to give her peace and eventual rest. 

Today I was reading in Luke 14:26 and it read, ”If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple”. What! I read on and what Jesus was saying was that you can't hold onto things, things you think are more or of most importance and still follow him fully. It also says in I John 2:15-17 ”Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

This world does hold everything that would try to seat itself ahead of God or become of more importance than He is on the throne of our hearts. And ”yes” that would include our families and even ourselves. You see that is a very very hard pill to swallow or wrestle out of our fists because we hold onto those things most tightly. It's our family that we count most dear and when push comes to shove for most, we would even take a bullet for them because they are of such importance. But what Jesus is saying to us seems to be quite the opposite doesn't it? But let me say with assuredness that what he's saying isn't hopeless at all but instead very very hope filled.  You see, he wants ALL of us and if we hold ”tight fisted” onto things or people while trying to serve God then that just doesn't work!

You see, if my daughter had not given up the jelly sandwich in her little fists then she couldn't have held the bottle of warm milk which had everything she needed to sustain her and bring her to that place of peace and rest. We’ve all probably heard the term ”Let Go And Let God” but never truly saw the depth of it. It says also in Philippians 3:8,  ”Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”. Paul spoke truth here in saying that it's all rubbish (the things we hold on to). Nothing, I repeat nothing can have place in our lives higher than God. You see, those family members, those things, those possessions they all being to Him anyway and he cares for them. We must let go of holding so tightly to them because we are afraid of losing them or think that we are the only proper caretakers of them. Who's a better caregiver than the one who cares for all? It is put to us then, choose to hold onto our jelly sandwiches and be tight fisted or let go and open our hands so that he can add things back to us that are good and nourishing and hold all we need to sustain us and bring us peace and life! Deuteronomy 30 says, ”See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.”  So, open those hands and choose life!