Grabbing Hold of God (and Letting Go)

"Watch me, Mom!" my little girl ran to the monkey bars and climbed to the top. She reached across to the first bar and began swinging forward, grabbing hold of the next bar. Grabbing hold and letting go. Grabbing hold and letting go. Her legs wiggled as she seemed to almost float through the air, making her way across the set of bars, reaching the end with a giggle, she climbed down, "I did it!"

In order for her to move forward, she had to grab hold of what was in front of her, and then let go of what was behind. She had to do it in that order. She could not let go first and then grab hold; if she did, she would fall to the ground and not get to the end. At least not on that try. Grabbing hold and letting go required strength and timing and endurance.

So it is when we trust God. We reach ahead, holding on to Him as we look forward, but in order for us to move forward with God, we also need to be willing to let go of what is behind.

In reaching forward and grabbing hold, we need to be confident of what we are reaching for --Whom we are reaching for. We need to be able to trust that which we are holding on to is dependable and firm. We need to know what to hold on to. In life, God is the only firm support we can hold on to. We can depend on Him to be present and to be faithful. He is always there; sometimes we just need to make the choice to reach out and grab on to Him.

Perhaps the trickier part (at least for me) is the letting go. I'm not sure why it is; maybe it requires more faith. It can be scary. But letting go, and trusting God, does not mean ignoring the circumstances or the pain. It does not mean minimizing it, denying it, or rationalizing it. It does not mean forgetting hurtful things that have happened. (It may mean forgiving the person, however). Letting go does not make the circumstances that occurred null and void. They are still real. It does not mean that our pain is not valid. It just means letting go of trying to control the outcome, seeking His good and perfect will and trusting God to handle it.

Psalm 37:5 says, "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this. He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." Trusting God to handle it means seeking Him, committing our way to Him, asking Him for the wisdom and discernment necessary to move forward. In doing this, we must believe that He will show us the truth and what needs to be done next. It requires a great amount of strength, timing and endurance, all which God will give.

It is a series of grabbing hold and letting go, one after another on our journey of faith through fair and stormy weather. In the process of grasping more and more of God and Who He is, we may also need to be willing to let go of more and more. It is hard to move forward in our relationship with God and our trust in God if we are holding on to controlling our own future.

These are truths that I must remember and believe every day. What about you, dear reader? In which way is God asking you to grab hold of Him today? What may He be asking you to let go of? Seek Him for the truth and for the way. Trust Him to care for you and to take care of what is burdening you. He is faithful and just. He will do what is right and good, for He loves you very much, with an unfailing love.