Drop it - give it up.

Last night I attended a memorial service for a "church grandmother" and heard a quote from the pastor that struck me so strong I couldn't help but jot it down (on facebook) so I could reference it later.

"There is fear in letting go, but so much glory on the other side." - Chuck Balsamo

When someone is in the process of dying, it has been said that they see others who have gone before them calling to them to come home. My sisters experienced this with my father while he was dying. He would be in and out of conscious and reach out and call to his mother. It could be said that he saw her standing at the end of the bed begging him to let go and come on into heaven. He had one foot in heaven and one on earth. When we sit beside the person who is passing we may beg them to stay a little while longer so we can spend more time with them. We have fear of letting them go, but on the other side of the "let go" is a glory that we can't even begin to describe until its experienced for ourselves.

I could go in a million directions from here. I've always heard the statement, "Unforgiveness is like holding onto a vile of poison and expecting the other person to die." It's not effecting the other person at all because they aren't affected by it. BUT it is holding onto us because we won't let it go. (Yes I just sang frozen in my head.)

You can hold onto so many things. Un-forgiveness, bitterness, guilt, hatred, anger, the list could go on and on. Think about something that you have been holding onto for a long time that is affecting you negatively. It might take a while for you to figure out what it is that you are holding onto. It took me a short amount of time to figure it out but YEARS to let it go. (Again frozen)

Do me a favor will you? Close your hands like you are holding onto sand. This is a visual activity. Stay with me. Now, if you keep your hands closed like that, how many things will you accomplish today? Not as much as if you had your hands free to pick things up. Think about how long it would take you to cook a meal. (Shout out to all those who do not have the use of their hands, you guys are awesome!!!) If you would open your hands and drop you would regain the use of your hands and be able to do so much more throughout the day. Open your hands facing palms facing down. This is things you need to drop. 

When we hold onto things and think we have to have it. Think about your addictions. Things you have been doing all your life. Things you think that you cannot live without. Close your hands again. There are things that are harder to give up. A habit that you do over and over and over or something you have been doing for years that you know you need to stop but you love. These are things that we have to give up. Sometimes it's a struggle and a fight. Open your hands palms facing up.

Just like with the sand, you can't do much with your hands held tightly together. If you are holding onto something that God is asking you to give to him something else happens. You are not allowing the blessings that God has for you to flow through your life. Look at your hands, they are open ready to receive something. If your hands are tightly closed on that things God wants you to give up, then how is he going to bless you with what he has for you?

I instantly thought of this picture this morning. God always has something better for us than what we think we have. TD Jakes was speaking this morning about how people try to plan their life the way they want. "I want to be married by 27 so I will have my kids at 28. Be 36 at their graduation. Have time for enjoy my life at early retirement." Everyone has their ideas. Justin and I had sat down and made a 5 year plan a year ago. We said that we had been married 5 years and hadn't gotten pregnant so we were going to sell our house and become the cool aunt and uncle. Buy land and build a house to fit our needs and do the Lords will. We put God in a box. We basically told him that THAT'S how it was going to be. Little did either of us know, we were pregnant. God threw a HUGE curve ball to show us that he was in control. 

We have to trust Him in all areas of our life. Everything we do. God knows better. There is so much glory on the other side of letting the small things go. Things that may seem big to us now, won't in the future. Just take time today, let it go, give it to God, and watch for your blessing to come knocking down your doors.