When our older son, Chase, was 2 years old, he taught me a valuable lesson. On the floor sat a plastic jar with a little toy inside. There was nothing special about the toy, but Chase had to have it. He reached into the jar and grabbed the prize, but there was a problem. The mouth of the jar was too small for him to pull out both his hand and the toy..
He struggled, thought, and struggled some more, but nothing worked and he began to cry. I sat down beside him and told him that I could take the jar and let the toy fall out, but first he had to let go. He refused. I explained that his hand with the toy was too big and that he was actually in the way. Nothing. Finally I described the wonderful, better toys in his bedroom just waiting for him. But Chase couldn't see those toys. His eyes and grip were firmly on the little one he held in his hand.
We do the same thing in life. We find something (or maybe it finds us), and we hold onto it with all our might. It could be something material (a house, car, wealth), practical (a job, retirement, investments), or people (a spouse, family, friends). It could even be anger, fear, and doubt.
We try to maintain control, hardly listening to the counsel of others. We want to do it our way. And it really isn't about one or even a few things in life. It's about life. Then God comes along and whispers, "Let go. I'll take it from here. Trust me. I have so much more for you, but you have to let go."
David wrote, Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods (Psalm 40:4). Who are the proud? Those who say, "I will do this alone." Who are the false gods? Anything and anyone we look to instead of God. But David's lesson is difficult. Trusting God requires letting go of something we can see for the promise of something we can't.
I once heard the captain of a ship say the scariest thing he ever did was to leave a port as a violent storm approached. The port was calm. There were strong lines with which to tie his ship to the dock. There were other ships securely moored. All this he saw, but his training told him to head to the open sea. So he and his crew spent the night in torrential rains, hurricane winds, and towering waves, but they survived.
After the storm passed, they made their way back to the port and were shocked by the sight. Those strong lines had broken. Ships had been tossed against the docks and each other. All were badly beaten, many were destroyed. The water had surged so high, several were carried completely out of the harbor and now rested in trees hundreds of yards away.
There's a saying that a ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are built for. Cute saying but it didn't come from a sailor. When storms rage, harbors become dangerous. A captain must fight the impulse to rely on the calmness and security he thinks he sees in order to trust in the promise of safety that lies beyond his vision.
Jesus offers a greater life. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10,NASU) But much of this life is beyond our vision and something is required if we are to truly experience it. As David also wrote, ...in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?(Psalm 56:4)
The life we so tightly hold onto is but a drop of water. Eternal life is the ocean. Trust God. Let go
