Letting Go

I think one of the hardest things in life is letting go. We’re not born with the nature to let go. Even newborns clasp tight their hands into little fists. Sometimes we are like that, with a death grip on something we lust for or fear to let go of. That is what’s so potent about “The Lord of the Rings.” Frodo is the ring-bearer, but the ring has got a hold of him. We can all identify with him if we are honest with ourselves.

We think we are in control only to find out to our surprise, we are not. We have to learn through hard lessons in life to let go. We can’t change people, we can’t control our lives, and we don’t even know what tomorrow may bring. We can insulate our lives with possessions, but there’s no assurance in them. It’s only a cushion of comfort to shield us from the truth that we have so little power.

Remember the scene in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” where Indy is reaching for the chalice? He knows it could cost his life but he’s still reaching for it. His father calls him by his chosen name for the first time and tells him to let it go. He comes to his senses, reaches out to his father with both hands and is pulled to safety.

I feel like that sometimes, reaching for something I’ve got to have without realizing it could cost my life. I hang on to God with one hand while I reach for an idol with the other. I don’t realize I’m over a chasm and about to fall. It’s not about whether God is holding tightly to me; it’s about whether I’m holding tightly to Him. The compromise is always on my part.

God loves us with passion. In Joshua 1:5 God tells Joshua that He will never leave him or forsake him. The Hebrew word used for "leave" is rapah which means to "loosen one's grip." In other words, God will never slacken His hold on your life; only you can let go.

One of my favorite authors is A.W. Tozer. He is so raw and to the point that I can only take him in small doses. He wrote, “God will save a man, but He will not save a man and his idol.” (Ouch! I love truth Lord, but does the arrow have to be so sharp and aimed for my heart all the time?)

All I know is my own weaknesses and His faithfulness. When He tells me to “let go” I also know He gives me the ability to do it.

God knows better than we do what is really killing us and He loves us too much to let us go down with the ship. The next hardest thing may be to trust Him; that He is holding us tightly, that He won’t let us go. I only know I don’t want to be like Frodo: I don’t want the part of me that won’t let go severed.