Ouch! That Hurts!
“Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.” — Psalm 86:11-12, NIV
As much as we hate to admit it, we love the things that we possess so much that letting go of them becomes nearly impossible. The thing we cherish could be material, like our first car, or relational, like our first love or a friendship that becomes dear to us. Yet there comes a time when we must let go of that which steals our affection from God. We must lay down our idols because God demands it: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
Letting go is something I struggle with daily. Whether it is my side of an argument or some earthly treasure, I sometimes find my fingers so tightly clutched around the object of my affections that the pain is excruciating when God begins to pry my fingers loose. Often the pain is not felt in my hands, but in my heart. I reach a place of brokenness that causes me to cry out for God’s mercy and grace.
What is the thing that you are holding onto for dear life? If it is anything other than Jesus, then you are holding onto an idol and loving God with a divided heart. When you fail to surrender every area of your life to the Lordship of Christ, you hinder his purpose and plan for you. Because God loves and desires intimate fellowship with his children, he will do whatever it takes to remove anything – material or relational – that stands between us and him, no matter how painful the process or how long it takes. We would be wise to hold loosely the things of this world and hold tightly to him. No person can love us like Jesus can, and no material thing can satisfy the deep longings of our heart.
Copyright © 2011 by Dee Dee Wike. All rights reserved.
